Members of the community gathered together to give a special thanks to Cochrane’s first responders with the Cochrane EMS Crisis Community Action Group’s (CAG) second annual First Responders Appreciation Day event on April 14.
The event took place at the Cochrane Lions Club Event Centre and welcomed first responders and their families, alongside members of the community to connect with one another for a fun afternoon.
CAG Chair, Brain Winter, said their second event ever celebrates all first responder personnel in Cochrane as a small token of appreciation by the CAG.
“It’s just a way for the community to appreciate first responders,” Winters said. “So, police, fire, EMS, search and rescue, parks people, rangers, and bylaw. It’s just a way to say thank you to them and the great job they do on a daily basis.”
Overall, Winters just says this is a small way to say thanks to all of Cochrane’s first responders.
“I just want to say thank you to them because they are out there protecting us on a daily basis,” Winter said.
CAG member Don Sharpe shared the same thoughts as winters, adding that he was delighted to see the support from locals.
“We’re thrilled to see so many people out at our second annual event, and this is a great turn out,” Sharpe said. “We are looking forward to next year.”
Mayor Jeff Genung also attended the event, and gave a special thanks to Cochrane’s emergency workers. In addition, he also praised the work by the CAG in thanking those who continue to keep the town safe.
“It’s too bad it’s taken this long to really rise up as a society to say thank you to those people who put themselves in harm’s way for us, as part of their profession, and the things they see and deal with every day,” Genung said. “But, a lot of the time, we often take it for granted, but it’s good we’re recognizing them now and seeing the impacts of the environment they work in.
“That’s what community is all about.”
Banff-Airdrie MP Blake Richards also showed support to Cochrane’s first responders by sharing a few words and thanking everyone who came out in support of the event. He noted that it was a heartwarming event, which really captures Cochrane’s community spirit.
“Our first responders are the people who keep the community safe,” Richards said. “They put themselves in dangerous situations to keep us safe, and anything we can do to show our appreciation and gives our thanks for that service in the community is absolutely worthwhile.”
