Here’s your chance to thank first responders

UNITED METHODIST Church of Gig Harbor has been working behind the scenes for weeks to pull together a first-time community event that we hope will become an annual gathering. The first Blessing Ceremony will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the church’s parking lot on Oct. 4 — rain or shine. It’s designed, competely on a volunteer basis, to allow you to meet, greet and thank those who arrive first at a scene of an accident or crime.

Ed Brook, a community outreach committee member for the church, took the idea and ran with it. He approached police, fire and other emergency personnel, then local businesses for donations. Dozens of people have been involved throughout the tireless process to give back to those who work around the clock to either protect our safety or help us when things go horribly wrong.

More often than not, when we meet a Gig Harbor police officer or a Pierce County Sheriff’s deputy, it’s under less-than-ideal circumstances. It can happen if someone steals our car or breaks into our home. But under extreme conditions, like when gunshots ring out and we run for cover, those folks head into the line of fire.

The Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula fire departments also deserve recognition. Firefighter/EMTs respond at a moment’s notice to accident scenes, whether it’s our sons or daughters on an athletic field or a multiple-vehicle collision with serious injuries.

They assess the situation. They evaluate those who need help, and they determine the best course of action.

We go to work every day and deal with our daily stress — what can we cut out of our family budget in order to make ends meet? How can we balance our time demands between the office and home? Can we afford that extra tank of gas for a trip to the mountains? — but we rarely think about emergency personnel unless we need them.

They don’t do it for the attention. In fact, most would say they’re just doing their job. But they are heros among us, and they deserve our thanks.

Let’s join together at the United Methodist Church on Oct. 4 and mingle with our protectors. Let’s show them how much we appreciate their efforts. Let’s shake their hands and get to know them, because their priority always is to keep us safe.

After all, it shouldn’t take an emergency to say “thank you.”