Safety Saturday brings first responders and community together

Twenty-six public safety agencies collaborate for Black Mountain event

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 6, 2023

Twenty-six agencies converged in Black Mountain, May 6, as Safety Saturday returned for its seventh year

The event, coordinated by the Black Mountain Police and Fire Departments, focused on public education through face-to-face interactions between citizens and the organizations that protect them.

Staged within the southern parking lot of Ingles, the gathering featured personnel and equipment from a range of Swannanoa Valley public safety agencies, including BMPD, BMFD, the Swannanoa Fire Department, Montreat Police Department, Montreat College Police Department and the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.

Other programs, including Helpmate, which provides emergency services for victims of domestic violence, and the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Emergency Services Division, participated in the event.

“This event is really an opportunity for all of these area agencies to provide the community with information on personal safety,” said Black Mountain Volunteer Firefighter and retired Deputy Chief John Wilson. “It also gives people an up-close look at the tools a lot of them use to help keep the community safe.”

Presentations ranged from fire extinguisher training to Broad River Fire Department drone demonstrations, while BMPD hosted a medicine drop-off outreach program.

Photos of Safety Saturday can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.