About Arrest and
Extinguish ALS
The inaugural Arrest and Extinguish ALS, inspired and organized by Mike Polidoro and Jeff Roosa,
event was held on May 18, 2019, at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA. The event invited first responders
from in and around the Massachusetts to form teams, fundraise, and compete in a tug-of-war
competition. Community members were encouraged to donate to their favorite team and cheer them
on. The two inaugural events that were thrown raised over $85,000 for ALS research at the ALS
Therapy Development Institute ALS TDI.
Learn how to get involved and join our mission!
Start Your Own Event
To learn more and start an Arrest & Extinguish ALS event in your area, email us at
events@als.net.
If you are interested in participating in an existing event, you can view our
full events calendar
here.
We Continue to Fight in Their Memory
Michael Polidoro
Michael (Mike) Polidoro, was affectionately known as "Iron Mike" by his friends and colleagues
and served in the Pittsfield Fire Department for 28 years. As his nickname suggests, Mike was
a force to be reckoned with. He led a remarkable career in his department, responding to
countless natural and manmade disasters.
He assisted in the aftermath of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina as a member of the FEMA Urban Search
and Rescue Massachusetts Task Force 1 Team based in Beverly, MA. However, when he was diagnosed
with ALS, he sadly had to retire from the department. His firefighter community remains tremendously
supportive and dedicated a fire engine in his name - Poly's Pride.
Jeffery Roosa
When the Town of Lee, Massachusetts Police Department participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
in August 2014, they never imagined that they would be hit so close to home just 3 years later. Chief
of Police, Jeffrey (Jeff) Roosa was diagnosed with ALS in September 2017. Jeff was born and raised in
Lee, joining the Police Department 2001, after serving as a Police Officer in the Town of Sheffield
from 1996 until 2001. Before being appointed to chief of the Lee department in 2013.
During his 23-year career he served on the counties regional Special Response Team for 16 of those
years. He even ran his first marathon in 2009. He was fit and in shape. It was on Father's Day 2016
that Jeff noticed something was wrong when his running time was slower than expected and his leg
muscles started cramping and twitching while riding his bike. When he saw his doctor, he was assured,
"it's just nerves" - nothing to worry about. After several more visits with specialists, he finally
got his diagnosis – ALS.
Research to Learn More About ALS and First Responders
ALS TDI aims to better understand how ALS affects first responders by studying the data collected through our
ALS Research Collaborative (ARC). ALS
TDI hopes that more first responders will continue to join the program so that we can continue to learn more
about this connection. To learn more about research at ALS TDI, visit
https://www.als.net/als-research/.
Unlocking the power of data and collaboration to end ALS