First Responders Connect With Kids At Falls City's National Night Out

FALLS CITY – The award-winning National Night Out events at Falls City’s Stanton Lake give law enforcement an opportunity to interact with youth in a positive way, teach some lessons about impaired driving and introduce first responders.

Verdon firefighter Richard Strecker was wearing basic bunker gear for going into structure fires, minus the air pack.

Strecker: “Just to greet the kids and show off the stuff so they know what it looks like. If they ever get into a situation they need to see stuff and get a first-hand look before. It helps calm them down a little bit.”

Falls City firefighter Jon McQueen brought a first-response truck with a decal for Kenny Simpson, who began his firefighting career in 1979.

McQueen: “I think this is a good way to honor him. He was one of drivers that had been on the long term and he was our fire chief for 10 years.”

He said he saw a truck memorial on the action-drama Chicago Fire and got permission from the city council to place Simpson’s name on the front-line truck.

McQueen, who has been on the fire department since 1984, said he was proud to be part of the 65-year-old Simpson’s honor guard for his funeral last fall.

McQueen: “We’ve always been good friends through the whole service, of serving each other and being together, and I was honored to carry his remains.”

Bailey Bindle, a Peru State College senior who works for SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions, volunteered at the safety quiz game.

Bindle: “Our main focus area is teen traffic safety because that is the number one killer of teens and so I have some traffic safety trivia here. I’ve got the the kids and adults guessing some trivia and they are wining t-shirts, sunglasses, mints, everything.”

The event included driving carts with goggles to mimic impaired driving, water balloon toss and Falls City’s best hotdogs.