HOMETOWN HEROES: Event brings Texarkana residents and first responders together

Children are given information about CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System's disaster response infrastructure and trauma center during an event Saturday at Lowe's in Texarkana, Texas. Lowe's hosted an event with area law enforcement, medical providers and emergency response organizations to inform the public and introduce citizens to first responders.
Children are given information about CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System's disaster response infrastructure and trauma center during an event Saturday at Lowe's in Texarkana, Texas. Lowe's hosted an event with area law enforcement, medical providers and emergency response organizations to inform the public and introduce citizens to first responders.

Emergency vehicles, firefighters, police officers, sheriff's deputies and other first responders gathered for hours Saturday in the Lowe's parking lot-but there was no emergency.

Instead, the home improvement store staged the event to honor Hometown Heroes who often work in dangerous, life-threatening situations to save and protect the lives of community members.

For the first time in 10 years, Lowe's re-implemented its Hometown Heroes tribute to local sheriff's deputies, city police and firefighters, state police, American Red Cross personnel, National Guardsmen and hospital employees.

"We hosted this kind of event 10 years ago, and now we want to turn this into an annual event," said Skipper Callender, Lowe's events coordinator. "We just want to give the public a chance to get to know our public-safety heroes. We need open communication between the public and our first responders. This gives people a chance to come out while they are doing their shopping and meet and talk with our community's first responders-as well as get an education on how these community heroes and heroines perform their jobs."

Larry Mosley, an events organizer for Lowe's, agreed.

"These are the people who we turn to in the case of an emergency or disaster," Mosley said. "They all have this in common, and these are the people that serve our community in times of need. We want to honor them."

Besides getting to meet public safety officers, attendees also received instruction and a chance to look at how fire trucks, ambulances, police cars and helicopters work.

Carl Anderson, a helicopter pilot for LifeNet, and Bowie County Sheriff's Lt. Brent Caudle, who is learning how to fly the sheriff's office's helicopter, received dozens of visitors, as children and adults gathered under the rotors.

Caudle said the sheriff's office uses the aircraft to conduct search and rescue operations for lost and missing children or senior adults, as well suspects and escaped inmates.

"It's also used to search for spot planted marijuana, along with lost or stolen vehicles-like four-wheelers or any other type of vehicle," Caudle said. "We also use it for emergencies like the May 2015 Red River flood, when the county had to search for places to deliver sandbags where water was breaching areas in the levees."

Anderson said the helicopter can also be used to help the state's forestry service fight fires by showing areas where fire lines could be established and re-enforced.

Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Matthew Neese said adults and children always like knowing where all the switches and buttons are for turning on the sirens, the bar lights and the search lights.

Texarkana, Texas, Fire Department's ladder trucks seem to be the most popular vehicles residents had questions about-especially because of all the rescue tools stored and carried by them.

"We also have anywhere from four to six men on these ladder trucks," Texas-side firefighter Lane Peeples said.

Mosley said that Lowe's will likely try to told the future Hometown Heroes events about this time each year from now on.

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