National Night Out comes to State Center
T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM — State Center residents chat with law enforcement from their town and from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, during National Night Out. Deputy Tanner Hunt was there to teach parents about proper car seat safety.
Catie Kline, 8, of State Center, hurls a ball at the dunk tank target at the National Night Out in State Center. The person in the dunk tank? State Center Police Chief Jon Thomas.
Lifeflight pilot Chris Hayward shows the engine of the aircraft which made an appearance at National Night Out in State Center on Tuesday. The helicopter made the trip from Fort Dodge to State Center in 24 minutes.
State Center Police Chief Jon Thomas gets dunked at the annual National Night Out on Tuesday. Dozens of children lined up to throw a ball at the target, hoping to get the chief wet.
T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM — State Center residents chat with law enforcement from their town and from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, during National Night Out. Deputy Tanner Hunt was there to teach parents about proper car seat safety.
Catie Kline, 8, of State Center, hurls a ball at the dunk tank target at the National Night Out in State Center. The person in the dunk tank? State Center Police Chief Jon Thomas.
Lifeflight pilot Chris Hayward shows the engine of the aircraft which made an appearance at National Night Out in State Center on Tuesday. The helicopter made the trip from Fort Dodge to State Center in 24 minutes.
State Center Police Chief Jon Thomas gets dunked at the annual National Night Out on Tuesday. Dozens of children lined up to throw a ball at the target, hoping to get the chief wet.
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STATE CENTER -- For the third year in a row, the State Center Police Department participated in Tuesday's National Night Out.
The National Night Out is a nationwide event held on the first Tuesday of August. The event encourages law enforcement to interact positively with citizens to build a sense of community. Within the first hour, numerous State Center residents appeared at National Night Out to partake in the activities and receive some education.
Hannah Hokanson and her daughter Astrid have attended every single year.
"Because it's fun," Astrid said as she ate her free Oreo ice cream sandwich.
"My son and my daughter both love to come," Hannah said. "They love all of the different activities, and they like Chief Thomas."
Even though Astrid was sad about the missing water slide which was present last year, she enjoyed the bouncy house and threw balls at the dunk tank. The first person to get dunked last night was Chief Jon Thomas, and dozens of children lined up for the opportunity.
"Always let the boss be first," he said, laughing.
While Thomas was drying off, he was speaking with attendees and flying a drone over the crowd. He was very happy with the turnout.
"Everybody appears to be having a good time," Thomas said. "It's always hard to tell how many people are going to show up. Kids were across the street watching the helicopter land, and that's awesome. We're just happy with whoever shows up."
Besides State Center officers, Marshall County Deputy Tanner Hunt made an appearance to teach parents about proper car seat safety. According to Thomas, more than 80 percent of car seats are not secured properly.
"We want to keep the little ones safe," he said.
The helicopter was flown by a UnityPoint Lifeflight crew from Fort Dodge consisting of pilot Chris Hayward and paramedics Jillian Angstrom and Nicole Perrault. They showed curious children and parents what the inside of the aircraft looked like. Hayward said the helicopter flew from Fort Dodge to State Center in 24 minutes.
Angstrom said if a request is made for Lifeflight to make an appearance at an event, they will usually show up.
"But if we get a call to go to a patient, then we would take off and make sure we can take care of those patients in need," she said.
Angstrom said they show the interested attendees where patients are loaded, let people sit in approved seats and tell them how they are able to help those in need.
"Everything they can do in a trauma room, we can pretty much do out of this helicopter," Hayward said. "The aircraft is the most efficient, quickest way to get someone from point A to point B."
According to Hayward, they do not have a radius of trauma patients they can respond to. However, if someone in Marshall County needed a Lifeflight, it might not be the Fort Dodge crew who would respond. It could be the crew from Des Moines or Audubon. It depends on which crew is closest and available.
The helicopter made a special landing in the middle of the grassy lawn where the event was held. Thomas was happy the bouncy house withstood the strong winds generated by the helicopter blades.
"This is what it's about – letting people come out and interact with us in a positive manner, Thomas said. "It's a win for us."
The National Night Out is not the only opportunity the State Center Police Department takes to interact with the community throughout the year. Thomas said officers are at every football and softball game and participate in the car show at the annual Rose Festival. Those positive experiences are very important, he said.
"We need to interact proactively, not just reactively, not just at an accident or when someone gets pulled over," Thomas said. "When people see us, it is less frightening and they are more comfortable with us."
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.