In 12 hours, Austin firefighters raised $14,000 for muscular dystrophy research — all by sticking their boots out.

The “Fill the Boot” campaign, which ran Aug. 5-7, far exceeded expectations, Austin firefighter Timothy Olson said.

“The generosity and support the citizens showed took me by surprise,” he said. “It was way more powerful than I thought it’d be.”

Originally, the department’s goal was to raise $5,000, Olson said.

During the three-day campaign, firefighters spent their afternoons camped out at two intersections in town — Fourth Street and First Drive northwest, as well as Oakland Avenue West and 12th Street Southwest — collecting donations in their boots from people walking or driving by.

To honor the department’s work, Betsey Krause, a program coordinator with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, presented Olson with a framed T-shirt at Monday’s council meeting.

The shirt came from a daycamp for kids dealing with MD supported by charitable funds. The handprints of the campers were pressed onto the shirt in paint, giving the department a clear reminder of who they helped.

Olson said if looking at 2008 numbers from similar campaigns across Minnesota, Austin’s recent “Fill the Boot” drive would have led the list in donations as compared to department size.

The success was enough for a standing ovation from those in attendance at Monday’s meeting, but Olson was quick to remind everyone that those donating deserved applause, too.

“The biggest thanks needs to go out to the citizens of Austin,” he said.