Shawnee Open House

I took a bit of a break from volunteering but got back in the saddle this weekend. I volunteered for a few hours at City of Shawnee's Open House that was held on Saturday September 17, 2016. I am currently a member of Shawnee's CERT team and helped staff an information booth at the Open House. The Open House had a ton of activities for kids and lots of information for adults from the city's different departments including: Maintenance, Parks & Rec, Police, Fire. CERT is run out of the Fire Department which makes sense since it is Emergency Management. Anyhoo... it was a lot of fun (when isn't working with the fire department fun?). The Open House was held at the John B Glaser Fire Station. Here are pics from the event: 

Sparky is a remote controlled car. Firefighters had a great time playing with the kids and the remote car!

Sparky!

LifeStar was a popular attraction especially during landing and again when it took off for the day.

I wasn't representing the Red Cross at the Open Hosue but did make sure to say Hi to the volunteers who represented the RC, including the service dog in training that one of the volunteers brought along! 

LODD

Kansas City has lost another law enforcement officer in the line of duty. This is the 3rd Line of Duty death in the Kansas City area this year.

On September 11, 2016 at approximately 1:30am Master Deputy Brandon Collins was killed when his patrol car was struck from behind while he conducted a traffic stop. He had re-entered his vehicle when a pickup truck struck it from behind. The suspect fled from the scene and was apprehended a short time later. Alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. Master Deputy Collins was a 20 year veteran on the Johnson County Sheriff's Office. RIP Master Deputy Collins. Thank you for your service!

On July 19, 2016 Captain Dave Melton was shot to death while encountering one of the suspects who fled from officers. One suspect was apprehended immediately, the other was later taken in to custody. Captain Melton was a veteran of the Kansas National Guard. RIP Captain Melton. Thank you for your service!

On May 10, 2016 Detective Brad Lancaster was shot to death while assisting officers on a suspicious person call. The suspect fled from officers and was tracked down by Detective Lancaster in a nearby field. The suspect opened fire and was able to flee the scene before being apprehended. He was later located after attempting to carjack a citizen in a nearby city. Detective Lancaster was a US Air Force veteran. RIP Detective Lancaster. Thank you for your service!

To all my friends in blue, I am thinking of you. Thank you for your service!  Please be safe out there!

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. You might be surprised to learn that many people didn't go through with their suicide plan because someone called them, texted them, posted something funny or inspirational on their wall. You probably didn't even know they were struggling. Sometimes it just takes one small gesture to touch someone's life. That small gesture just might save a life.