Bennington Fire Department Public Education Event Wraps Up Bennington Daze

4–5 minutes

By Marisa Dawson

A firefighter demonstrates CPR to a young boy using a training dummy in a busy indoor setting, with tables displaying information in the background.

The final day of Bennington Daze concluded with an afternoon focused on community engagement, health, and safety as the Bennington Fire Department hosted its annual Public Education Event at the fire station.

Organized by the Bennington Firefighters Memorial Foundation, the event welcomed families for a variety of educational activities, hands-on demonstrations, and family-friendly entertainment. Attendees enjoyed lunch, a bounce house, coloring contests, firefighting-themed games, opportunities to try on turnout gear, and an obstacle course designed to give kids a taste of firefighting challenges.

Foundation President Nichol Johnson said participating in Bennington Daze remains an important opportunity for both the foundation and the department. “Being part of Bennington Daze is great for us as a foundation and the department!” Johnson said. “Having the community come to the station to learn from all of the outside organizations and to meet the members of the department is invaluable!”

A firefighter kneels to assist a child wearing oversized firefighter gear, including a jacket and helmet, in a community event setting.

One of the newest additions to this year’s event proved to be a crowd favorite. “I think the highlight this year was the obstacle course!” Johnson said. “It was something new I added this year and I think I’ll make it bigger for next year!”

Volunteer FF/EMT Darti Jensen spent much of the afternoon helping with the obstacle course and witnessed firsthand how much children enjoyed the activity. “I think the kids had a lot of fun,” Jensen said. “It was also super impressive to see which kids opted to choose the heavier, larger hose versus the smaller toddler-sized hose. You could see girls picking up the heavier ones and they were pretty impressed with themselves and their parents were impressed too.”

In addition to the games and activities, the event featured a variety of safety-focused stations and demonstrations. Firefighters taught hands-only CPR techniques and introduced attendees to PulsePoint, a mobile app that alerts trained citizens to nearby cardiac emergencies. Children also had opportunities to learn how to use an EpiPen and explore emergency response trucks and equipment.

Children practicing CPR on mannequins with an adult supervising
A firefighter teaches children how to perform CPR on mannequins during a safety training event.

Several community partners joined the event to provide education and resources. Representatives from Nebraska Medicine were on hand, while the Nebraska Community Blood Bank offered blood-type testing on the spot. Douglas County 911 personnel spoke with children about emergency communications, and representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration shared information about fentanyl awareness and drug safety.

FF/EMT Kyle Jensen said educating residents about emergency response and community involvement was one of the event’s most important goals. “We had PulsePoint support showing PulsePoint, which is a new app that allows anybody to download it and see if there’s any sort of emergency going on,” Jensen said. “It’s tailored towards cardiac arrest.”

He explained that immediate action from bystanders can significantly improve survival rates during cardiac emergencies. “Those five minutes are crucial,” Jensen said. “Allowing people to see that maybe their neighbor or somebody close to them is in cardiac arrest and then being able to be CPR trained and understand that… If we can get somebody there to give compressions before we get there, that increases those people’s survivability.”

The educational stations also highlighted other ways community members can make a difference. “If they leave here just with the slightest bit of confidence to be able to do CPR on somebody, or if that pushes them finding out their blood type that there was a need and they go out and donate blood, I think the big message is that the community can help, too,” he added. “The community can help the community, which is awesome.”

A family interacts at a community event, with a little girl excitedly approaching a wheel of prizes while an adult sits behind a table.
A vendor interacts with a child at a table while an adult stands beside them, both looking at materials laid out on the table. In the background, more people are engaged in activities at an indoor event.

For firefighters, the event provides an opportunity to connect with residents in a setting outside of emergency calls. “I think they’re really important,” Kyle Jensen said of public education events. “It gets people out to see what we do behind the scenes. But also to understand that, like I said, they can help the community.”

Darti Jensen agreed that those personal interactions help build trust and familiarity between firefighters and the people they serve. “I feel like it’s important for them to see us as people and to know that we are safe when we show up in the case of an emergency,” she said. “That way they’re not scared and they know that we’re there to help.”

For both firefighters and foundation members, one of the most rewarding aspects of the day was seeing the community come together.

“I think it was just seeing the whole community come out,” Kyle Jensen said. “This is the first time I’ve done this. So being able to see how many people came out, it was really eye opening.”

A man in a red '#1 BELIEVER' t-shirt and a black hat stands next to a truck, talking to a woman holding a toddler. The scene is set outdoors with greenery in the background.
A woman serving food to a young girl at a table in a community hall, with other children waiting in line.

Johnson echoed that sentiment as another successful Public Education Event came to a close. “Part of our mission is to help educate the community,” she said. “We love trying to grow this event every year! We also use the money raised from the public education event to provide scholarships for the firefighters and their families.”

After months of planning and preparation, Johnson said seeing families enjoying the event made the effort worthwhile. “It makes the months of work worth it!” Johnson said, adding that soon the work will begin again in preparation for their pancake feed on October 3rd.

A firefighter helps a young child try on oversized firefighting gear in a community setting.
A girl in a baseball uniform stands at a table with two adults, one in a pink shirt and the other in a blue shirt, inside a fire station with a fire truck visible in the background.
A group of children and adults sitting around a table, enjoying a meal together in a casual setting. Two adults are interacting with the kids, who are engaged with their food.
A woman serving food at a table with children nearby, one holding her head while another reaches out for a snack.
A young child playing inside a red fire truck-themed play tent on a smooth surface, with people seated in the background.
A young girl in a pink shirt interacts with an adult at a table, which is covered in supplies. The adult is handing over a paper while another person stands nearby, and cars are visible in the background.
A firefighter helps a young boy try on a firefighter's jacket and pants while bystanders watch, including a woman and two men.
A young child dressed in a firefighter costume smiles while kneeling beside an older boy, who is crouching down and engaging with him. In the background, families are gathered, with some children playing nearby.

Discover more from Bennington Buzz

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Trending