First responders host Public Safety Day in South Hadley

Yahoo

2 days ago

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) – The South Hadley Police Department brought the community together on Sunday to learn about who first responders are and how they keep the public safe.
'Officer Tebo and some of our other members started working on this about a year ago to celebrate the 150th year of the South Hadley Police Department,' said South Hadley Police Chief Jennifer Gundersen.
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From police cars to fire trucks, construction equipment, and even a helicopter, law enforcement agencies and their partners from across the state got to show off their unique specialties at the Public Safety Day.
'We get to show off some of the great things we do,' Gundersen said. 'We get to show off our comfort dog Murphy, we get to show off our drone program. Our fire district has some great apparatus. Our tow vendor's here, State Police and the various things they do.'
Chief Gundersen told 22News that this event allows them to build meaningful relationships within the community.
'I think that when someone is in a critical incident, especially children, if they've had the opportunity to meet the first responders, the police, the fire, see people in uniform, maybe it may make a critical incident less scary for them,' Gundersen said.
Not only could the public meet the first responders and see their equipment, but there was a table where parents could get involved with their child's safety. The Mount Holyoke Masonic Lodge in South Hadley provided parents with the opportunity to use the MyChip program, a thumb drive of information that helps law enforcement if a child is lost or missing.
'Their weight, their height, their description, any identifying marks, they'll have their DNA,' said Michael Hogan of the Mount Holyoke Masonic Lodge.
Parents that participated with their children went home from the Public Safety Day with the thumb drive in hand, but others may be skeptical with where their child's information goes.
'The local police department doesn't have it, it's not put on the web anywhere,' Hogan said. 'The parent is the only person, or significant other, their legal guardian, are the only people that would have that information. So everything is very, very safe.'
MyChip is also looking to expand their services for the elderly generations as well, looking out for the safety of all.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
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