The Tennessee Highway Patrol hosting the third annual First Responders Trunk or Treat Thursday to provide a safe environment for local families to interact with emergency personnel.
Trooper Haley Uzelac said the gathering serves as a community event that brings together various local agencies. The goal: offer a family-friendly Halloween experience for children.
“We want to show kids that there’s more to us than just seeing us in an emergency, because sometimes kids do see us in an emergency situation, whether it’s us, firefighters, any other type of first responder,” Uzelac said. “So this just kind of gives them like an opportunity to meet us in like a fun, relaxed environment to see our vehicles and just to engage with us.”
Uzelac said the primary goal of the interaction is to establish a sense of security and familiarity between the youth and the officers.
“Most importantly that we are somebody they can trust and look to, just to be able to talk to us, that we’re not mean and scary and, of course, we all have jobs to do, but that most importantly they can trust us,” Uzelac said. “And of course they’re not just seeing us in an emergency type setting.”
Uzelac said the relaxed setting allows children to ask questions they might have about the equipment or the daily responsibilities of first responders.
“The one good thing about an event like this, you’re definitely seeing many different agencies come together for one common purpose,” Uzelac said. “Of course, we all have different responsibilities in our everyday job, but we do share the commitment to serving our communities and keeping people safe.”
Uzelac said the event is beneficial for the first responders as well, because it allows different agencies to connect and build relationships with each other while engaging with the public.
“We want everybody to have a better understanding of us first responders what our jobs are and that we are here to keep the community safe and again if they ever need anything or have a question, not to be afraid to ask us,” Uzelac said. “That’s what we’re here for.”
Uzelac said the event takes place Thursday from 5pm to 7:30pm at Cookeville’s Cane Creek.