A Collier-based animatronics company that provides the annual thrills and chills of the Scream Asylum during Halloween is teaming up with the Presto Volunteer Fire Department to raise money for flood victims and a local injured police officer.

From 6 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, Presto volunteer firefighters will be holding out their boots in front of the Scream Asylum to collect donations for a Carnegie family whose home was destroyed by last month's floods.

The following weekend, Oct. 29 and Oct. 30, Presto and L5 Productions will hold another fund-raiser, this time for Collier police Officer Dave Agostino, who suffered severe head injuries in a motorcycle accident last month. Funds collected will help defray medical costs for Agostino, who has a wife and three young children, L5 owner Cliff Rohal said.

The first boot drive fund-raiser was held last weekend to benefit the Carnegie and Heidelberg fire departments, both severely damaged by the floods.

For each fund-raiser, L5 will donate an undisclosed amount based on the Scream Asylum attendance sales, Rohal said.

The Scream Asylum is located at Trader Jack's in Heidelberg. Admission costs $11.

The work of L5 Productions has included designing animatronics and sets for museums and amusement park attractions. Rohal also helped with the collapsing bridge scene in the locally filmed "The Mothman Prophecies."

The company, which puts on the Scream Asylum every year, is based on Thoms Run in Collier.

Rohal said he got the idea to do the three fund-raisers after helping three flood damaged Heidelberg businesses with electrical work.

"We wanted to take advantage of the large attendance we usually get," Rohal said. "We are just a small company, but hopefully what we are doing will compel other people or businesses better off than we are to do the same."

About 2,000 visited the Scream Asylum last weekend, Rohal said.

William Nelson and his family lost their $50,000 house on Willow Street in Carnegie due to the floods.

They received $10,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but Nelson said that's not enough.

The family is house-hunting and staying with relatives. Shawn and Timothy, worked at the Scream Asylum for the last 5 years.

"There are a bunch of people that need help. We feel privileged that (Rohal) chose my family," William Nelson said. "The outpouring of the community is just fantastic."

Carnegie firefighter Holly Ballas said the department is grateful to the Presto fire company for helping them out with their fund-raising.

"People have been so wonderful. It's still not enough for us, but we are so appreciative of everyone's generosity," Ballas said.

The flooding caused about $200,000 in damage to Carnegie's 16-month-old firehouse. The department also lost equipment, including a ladder truck, totalling more than $1 million.

For more information, call (412) 221-0700 or visit http://www.screamasylum.com/.