National Night Out events nationwide offer a chance to change the dynamic between first responders and community members.
Oftentimes, calls for service mean meeting people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Community outreach events such as National Night Out connect the community with fire, police, EMS and other emergency personnel for a couple of hours during a nice evening.
At La Center’s event in Holley Park on Tuesday, Aug. 18, personnel with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Clark Cowlitz Fire Rescue, CRESA, the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Public Safety Department and other community groups gathered with residents for demonstrations, conversations and activities after the event was postponed earlier this month due to wildfire smoke blanketing the region.
For Sam Lewis, program manager for the Clark Cowlitz Fire Rescue CARES program, the event provides an opportunity to interact with residents outside the typical emergency response setting.
“It's just you get to really meet people on a different level,” Lewis said.
CARES, or Community Assistance Referral and Education Services, operates a mobile integrated health care program that provides followup services to people leaving the 911 system or a hospital. The program also operates a mobile crisis co-response program.
Lewis said he enjoys participating in public education events such as National Night Out, where first responders can interact with residents in a more relaxed environment.
The event included a fire extinguisher demonstration, a fire engine and a CARES booth, with one of the fire marshals also scheduled to take a turn in the dunk tank. Lewis said the event was successful despite being postponed due to wildfire smoke in the region.
“I think it's great. I'm glad we were able to kind of still be able to do it,” Lewis said. “We were able to do the fire extinguisher demonstration, which looks like it's a hit right now. (We were) able to have the engine out here as well as have the booth. So, it's been working out great.”
The value of National Night Out extends beyond the equipment and demonstrations on display, said Clark County Sheriff’s Office Commander Todd Barsness.
“National Night Out is an opportunity to meet with the community on a one-on-one level,” Barsness said.
Barsness added that deputies bring equipment such as K-9s and drones to demonstrate the capabilities available to the sheriff’s office, but the personal connections are more important.
“But, honestly, it's more about just making that one-on-one connection, whether it's with kids, adults,” he said. “You know, we're part of the community. We enjoy these kinds of events and any opportunity we get to answer questions. We're people. We all live here. We all raise our families here. So, whatever connection we can make, I think it's a positive one.”
That interaction can be particularly meaningful for deputies who spend much of their time responding to calls involving people in crisis.
“I think for the deputies especially it provides a balance,” Barsness said. “It's really easy when you're working patrol and you're running call to call to call. No one calls 911 when they're having a good day, right?”
He said patrol deputies regularly respond to domestic, family, parental and neighbor disputes. National Night Out allows them to meet residents who are not involved in an emergency.
“So, an event like this really provides that balance where we're meeting people who are not in crisis, who are not having those kinds of challenges, who aren't a victim or a suspect,” Barsness said. “So, I think, for a lot of our newer deputies, it really provides that other side of the coin, that balance to the community aspect of it.”
Barsness added the event is one he and deputies look forward to each year.
“I'm really excited everybody came out. It's a lot of fun. We look forward to this every year,” he said.
