Safety Saturday highlights roles of local first responders

Annual event connects community with agencies that protect it

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 8, 2022

Black Mountain Public Safety personnel will be joined by dozens of agencies from around the region, Sept. 10, as Safety Saturday returns for its seventh year. Photo by Fred McCormick

There are few sights and sounds more reassuring in an emergency than the flashing lights and blaring sirens that herald the arrival of first responders and potentially life-saving equipment to the scene. 

While firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement officers often interact with people who are in distress, the return of Safety Saturday, which will take place from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 10, in the south parking lot of the Black Mountain Ingles, is offering the community a chance to learn more about the public safety officials who keep the town safe. 

Organized by the Black Mountain Fire and Police Departments and sponsored by the Town of Black Mountain and Ingles Markets, the event provides a fun and educational look at the equipment and procedures regularly deployed by emergency officials. Dozens of agencies from the region will participate in the presentation. 

Like its predecessors, the Seventh Annual Safety Saturday will focus on building community engagement, according to Justyn Whitson, who has served in the BMFD for eight years and is currently the president of the Black Mountain Volunteer Firefighter Association. 

“It really gives community members a chance to come and meet their local firefighters, EMTs and police officers, and see what they do in your community,” Whitson said. “Sometimes there can be this idea that public safety workers are a separate part of the community, but really we’re all in this together.”

The gathering also offers an up-close look at the resources available to local residents in the event of emergency. 

“Certain agencies have better equipment to respond to specific scenarios, and we rely on them to assist in those events,” Whitson said. “For example, the Riceville Fire Department has one of the premier brush truck apparatuses in our area, and they are available to assist Black Mountain, if needed.”

While emergency equipment, including fire engines, ladder trucks and police vehicles, are typically popular attractions for those attending Safety Saturday, another feature of the yearly gathering is the availability of educational resources. 

“One of the goals is to help educate the public on the duties of their local emergency personnel, so we will have handouts and other information to let the public know how to help keep their community safe,” Whitson said.

A booth operated by volunteer firefighters, who play a key role in maintaining the welfare of residents and visitors in Black Mountain, will provide citizens with an opportunity to get involved, according to Sterling Poe, who firefighting career in the town has spanned nearly six decades.

“Volunteer firefighters will be there to talk to people about what we do,” he said. “Anybody interested in becoming a volunteer can fill out an application right there.”

The outdoor event is subject to cancelation in the event of inclement weather, with updates available on the BMFD Facebook page.