Sunday is the big day –
Guns & Hoses Hockey Challenge ON ICE!
Baxter Arena March 19, at 3 PM

Come watch local police and firefighters compete in the Guns & Hoses Hockey Challenge for a good cause, to support the First Responders Foundation!

Bring the family out to cheer on our First Responders and enjoy an epic event with lots of fun scheduled on AND off the ice! There will be a Kid Zone, cool first responder vehicles, K9s, vendors, a Chuck-A-Puck break activity, awesome raffles, and more! 

Need Tickets?
The box office opens at 12:00 on Sunday
or click here to purchase now!

• Baxter Arena has a Clear Bag Policy & concessions are credit card ONLY.
• Bring cash! Raffle tickets and chuck-a-pucks will be available for purchase in the main concourse.
• Look for directional signage – fans are encouraged to sit behind the team they’re rooting for!
• Make signs to cheer on your favorite team or player!

MEET THE TEAMS – TEAM RED & TEAM BLUE!

Meet the 2023 FIRE TEAM – TEAM RED

Team Red includes firefighters from Omaha, Council Bluffs, Offutt, Lincoln, Waterloo, and Grand Island, and has a combined 269 years of service.

Meet the 2023 POLICE TEAM – TEAM BLUE

Team Blue includes law enforcement from 8 different metro-area agencies, and has a combined 188 of years of service.

The post Guns & Hoses Hockey Challenge – this Sunday! appeared first on First Responders Foundation.

• How can I help support the police and first responders in the metro area?
• Can I show support and appreciation for all they are doing to protect our rights and for the safety of our community?

How Can I Help & Support Police/First Responders?

To answer the question, how can I help, a simple note was put out on our social media sites announcing the collection of items for first responders.  Immediately the outpouring of supplies began to roll in.

The Foundation has been a collecting point for 1000’s of cases of water and sports beverages, protein bars and beef jerky, hundreds of different snack items, sunscreen, lip balm, and more!  Along with these very necessary items have been cards and well wishes from all ages thanking first responders and letting them know they care.  The donations have come from citizens in the metro area, some with a bag full and some with a car full.  Parents have come with children who have drawn pictures for first responders.  Donations have come from workgroups and friend groups, from churches, and from large and small companies all wanting to show support for the police and other first responders.

Donation To Support Police & All First Responders

The donations have been overwhelming and the impact on our local first responders has been immense.  Leadership from departments from all over the metro have responded with thanks and have commented that the donations have been heartfelt and have increased morale. The collaboration between departments over the last few weeks has been impressive.  Supplies have been delivered to agencies in Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, and Pottawattamie Counties.

At this time we are shifting our focus from drinks and snacks to collecting gift cards and thank you notes that will be given to first responders. The gift cards can be as little as $5 and up.  The public is encouraged to mail these items to our location at 10605 Burt Circle, Omaha, NE  68114.  If you would prefer to drop the cards and notes off please call 402-218-1234 to make arrangements.  Our local first responders will very much appreciate your generosity.

Behavioral Health Services

Way beyond supplies currently needed, the First Responders Foundation is here for first responders in significant ways.  Our most crucial program is the First Responders Support Team (FRST) that offers behavioral health services for first responders and their families.  The need for these services has increased with the COVID19 pandemic and the protests and riots.  An even greater need is anticipated when things get “back to normal” as first responders are trained to be focused when situations are intense.  Support groups are offered for paid and volunteer first responders, both in person and via video conferencing.  Services are also offered to frontline medical personnel.

First Responders Foundation

The Foundation also supports K-9 Units, Mounted Patrol, and Alley the Arson Dog. Our JAVELAN program as service dogs for our nation’s heroes, including retired first responders. Our Home Safety program, in partnership with the Omaha Fire Department, offers free carbon monoxide/smoke detectors and battery replacement to the elderly and others in need in our community.

Financial contributions to the Foundation are always needed and appreciated to continue the vital programming for our first responders who put their lives on the line for us each and every day.  We are here for them.  To Donate Now click here.

Mission

The mission of the Foundation is to serve and honor all our First Responders and their families, build appreciation and respect for their work and enhance public safety. Our mission is ongoing and will never be complete, however this week through the support of the community our mission was accomplished.  

Sincere thanks to all the businesses and organizations that assisted with donations and collections this week that are far too numerous to mention.

The post How Can I Help & Support Police/First Responders? appeared first on First Responders Foundation.

Donate now to make a difference for local first responders, as your generous donation will support our key programs aimed at mental, emotional, and physical well-being for our first responders and their families.  As we seek to distance ourselves from one another by staying home, canceling events and school, first responders are selflessly exposing themselves to danger and risk of exposure and contraction of COVID- 19, nobly going into harm’s way on our behalf.

First Responders and the Coronavirus in Nebraska & Iowa

Here are some of the extraordinary ways first responders are meeting the challenges brought on by the coronavirus:

The Omaha and area Fire Departments are taking extra precautions to make sure when they arrive on a call, the rescue vehicles are clean and ready for a safe ride for the patient and first responders.

• Both the Douglas County and Sarpy County dispatchers are asking more in-depth screening questions when a call comes in with an ill patient.  The more information and the more prepared the first responders are when they arrive at a call, the better.
• Bill Bowes, Papillion Fire Chief said questions the dispatchers ask include inquiries about recent international travel and if the person has a fever or cough.
• If the person does have a cough, the Papillion Fire Department will limit exposure by sending in one or two first-responders instead of an entire squad.
• Masks and disposable gowns are used in addition to standard equipment, if the person has a cough, or if the department is transporting a known COVID- 19 cases.

Omaha Police and Fire Department

The Omaha Police area law enforcement Departments are taking precautions too, ensuring the readiness and availability of law enforcement officers.  Some steps taken by Police Chief Todd Schmaderer for example, include:

• suspending travel of officers away from Omaha
• canceling or postponing volunteer programs and nonessential meetings

The Chief assures the public that his officers are prepared and that they are trained to take extra precaution when necessary as officers interact with those they serve.

Council Bluffs Police Department

Lt. Darren Budd from the Council Bluffs Police Department reports that their officers are spending extra time steam-cleaning cruisers and disinfecting equipment by using Clorox wipes, protective masks, hand sanitizer, and gloves.

Your support to these brave men and women is needed and appreciated as the First Responders Foundation fulfills its mission to serve and honor all our First Responders and their families, build appreciation and respect for their work, and enhance public safety.  Stand with us to Stand with them, the brave men and women of our communities who proudly serve us as our First Responders.

Donate Now!

The post First Responders and the Coronavirus appeared first on First Responders Foundation.

The First Responders Foundation’s mission is to build appreciation and respect for first responders and their families and enhance public safety. We ask the community to make a difference and join us in thanking and supporting local first responders. #Support Blue

To learn more about Support Blue click here.

To make a donation to the First Responders Foundation, to support local law enforcement and first responders click here.

Here is a link for a KETV news story and video with more details about Sgt. Brewster and his connection with the Omaha Police Department.

Barr: Rising disrespect for officers not only wrong, is putting us in danger

By William BarrDecember 17, 2019

Gabriella Bass

Serving as a cop in America is harder than ever — and it comes down to respect. A deficit of respect for the men and women in blue who daily put their lives on the line for the rest of us is hurting recruitment and retention and placing communities at risk.

This month, Sgt. Christopher Brewster of the Houston Police Department was shot and killed while responding to a domestic-violence call.

Several hours later that same day, Officer Stephen Carr of ­Arkansas’ Fayetteville Police ­Department was ambushed and executed while sitting in his patrol vehicle. Last week, Det. ­Joseph Seals was shot and killed by those who carried out the Jersey City massacre. Seals’ funeral is Tuesday.

There is no tougher job in the country than serving as a law-enforcement officer. Every morning, officers across the country get up, kiss their loved ones and put on their protective vests. They head out on patrol never knowing what threats and trials they will face. And their families endure restless nights, so we can sleep peacefully.

Policing is only getting harder. Police officers are now required to handle the fallout from a vast range of social ­pathologies that were once the domain of social workers, psychologists and family members, such as mental illness, widespread homelessness and drug abuse.

Even more demoralizing, police officers must look on as the criminals that they have risked their lives to apprehend get turned loose by “social-justice” DAs and “progressive” judges who no longer see their role as protecting the community from predators. Some DAs have even exposed police officers to greater danger by announcing that they will not prosecute those who resist police.

Increasingly, police officers find themselves the subject of physical attacks. Assaults against police jumped 20 percent from 2014 to 2017, up to about 60,000 a year.

While policing is demanding, it’s uniquely rewarding. Law ­enforcement is a noble calling, and we are fortunate that there are still men and women of character willing to serve selflessly so that their fellow citizens can live securely.

The fight against crime is perpetual. There is no final victory; the end is never in sight. To wage this struggle takes a special kind of fortitude. It takes its toll. Officers are at a higher risk of suicide than members of any other profession. The number of officer suicides is more than triple that of deaths in the line of duty.

We now live in a full-employment economy. There are many career options outside of law enforcement. As the demands being placed on police have ­become more intense, recruiting and retaining high-caliber officers have become a nationwide challenge.

In the last 20 years, the number of full-time sworn officers per capita dropped 11 percent. Departments are experiencing shortages. The number of applications has significantly decreased over the past several years, and many officers are leaving well before retirement age.

Here is the stark reality: Without a serious focus on officer ­retention and recruitment, ­including a renewed appreciation for our men and women in blue, there won’t be enough ­police officers to protect us.

There were times in the past when we didn’t demonstrate sufficient respect for men and women who served in our armed forces. Thankfully today, veterans and members of the military get the respect they ­deserve. There are demonstrations of gratitude when they ­deploy and return home, and even in everyday encounters, Americans thank them for their service. As a country, we need to do more to recognize the sacrifice and the service of law ­enforcement.

Support for officers, at a minimum, means adequate funding. It also means lending them an extra degree of goodwill for having chosen a trying life of public service.

Which is why the administration has made backing law ­enforcement a top priority. Among other initiatives, President Trump announced in ­October the formation of a ­executive commission to study key challenges facing law ­enforcement, the first such commission since the 1960s.

When we show our respect and appreciation for our police, it says more about our love of liberty and justice than perhaps any other act.

William Barr is the attorney general of the United States.

Donate Online Using the Form Below

The post Disrespect for Police Officers is Putting Our Country in Danger – William Barr appeared first on First Responders Foundation.

Donate Now!

Sacrifice is a way of life for first responders. They respond when a call is received, leaving their own families to aid ours. First responder families sacrifice too because their loved one responds for our loved ones. In recognition of these sacrifices, the annual “Awards of Excellence” provides multiple $500 scholarships to high school seniors each spring. The recipients must have a parent who is a first responder and demonstrate outstanding commitment to their community. There is no better way to thank our first responders than to recognize their high school senior with a scholarship to help achieve their goals!

Support the First Responders Foundation Today & Stand With Them!

The First Responders Foundation provides programs to raise awareness, support, celebrate, honor and say thank you to our first responders, and their families, for the difficult job they do every day. They put their lives on the line to protect and serve our community and our way of life. Programming includes mental wellbeing and training programs, equipment, and the Awards of Excellence Scholarship Program.

Support our community heroes and their families today!

“My entire life I have looked up to my father who is an Omaha police officer. I would like to join the Omaha Police Department as it would be a way for me to contribute to society.” – Jayden, recipient of a scholarship

“The Awards of Excellence means a lot to me because my family has many who are first responders.  I want them to be as proud of me as I am of them.” – Kaylee, recipient of a scholarship.

Through your financial contribution of $10, $25, $75, $500, $1,000 or more, you will make a difference in the lives of first responders and their families.

  Donate Now!  Thank you!

The post Support the First Responders Foundation Today & Stand With Them! appeared first on First Responders Foundation.

Mark your calendars for the June 28th Salute to First Responders Night and Whelen, Fire, Safety, and Police Night.

During intermission of the NASCAR Whelen Racing Series there will be two feature heats each with 2 police officers and 2 firefighters. The top 4 from those heats will race for the championship.

Racing for the Red Team:
Brad Lucas from the Omaha Fire Department
Matt Meyer from the Omaha Fire Department
Dustin Wyman for the Omaha Fire Department
Pat Wolf from the Omaha Fire Depaartment
The Captain of the Red Team in First Responders Foundation Vice President Mary Rosenthal.

Racing for the Blue Team:
Larry Schwartz from the Bellevue Police Department
Adam Smith from the Red Oak, IA Police Department
Dave Volenec from the Omaha Police Department
Matt Baughman from the Omaha Police Department and Pilot for Able 1
The Captain of the Blue Team is Jim Cahill Director of Security at NE Furniture Mart.

Who will make it to the finish line first!  Come out and cheer on your TEAM!

There will be a reverse tribute lap before the race honoring all fallen first responders. Law enforcement and fire vehicles will take part in this lap. The OPD helicopter will also be overhead depending on weather and their availability. The National Anthem will be sung by David Volenec, one of the racers. At the end of the tribute lap and the national anthem, the OPD helicopter will do a flyover, stop, and bow to the crowd. The helicopter is scheduled to come back again during the races at intermission.

This event is a fundraiser for First Responders foundation. The money raised will go to the FRST Program (First Responders Foundation – First Responders Support Team) in honor of Jeremy Knott, OFD. 

FRF will have merchandise for sale and other fun ways to support the foundation.  Donations and purchases will help the First Responders Foundation continue to offer the programs and services that help first responders and their families in the metro area.

FREE Tickets for all First Responders.  Contact Mary Rosenthal at mary@firstrespondersomaha.org.  Tickets must be obtained prior to the event.

To purchase tickets visit https:http://www.i-80speedway.com/i80/events/nascar-weekly-points-night-7/

The racing will start at 7:10pm but come early to see the police and fire practice rounds and other fun activities prior to the race!

The post Guns N Hoses! June 28, 2019 appeared first on First Responders Foundation.

Awards of Excellence Scholarships were made possible thanks to the following donors who fully-funded one or more of the awards: Farmers Insurance, Jim Killips, Carol Stolp, Mary Rosenthal, Ray Somberg, Terry Headley, Tom Holland, Keith Basham, Susan Wier, Chuck Sederstrom, Al & Teri Batschelet.

The Awards of Excellence Reception was supported by Nelson Murphy Insurance and Investments and Farmers Insurance.

Police Recipients

• Jayden Anderson – Millard South High School
• Joseph Barrios – Home Schooled
• Callie Billings – Gross Catholic High School
• Eli Bogdanoff – Blair High School
• Logan Fornoff – Glenwood High School
• Kaylee Flynn – Millard North High School
• Joshua Herout – Concordia Jr./Sr. High School
• Kiya Hudson – Millard North High School
• Michael Kelly – Elkhorn South High School
• Leah Millikan – Logan-Magnolia High School
• Grant Oseka – Papillion LaVista South High School
• Matthew Perl – Papillion LaVista South High School
• Connor Smith – Westside High School
• Kylie Tierney – Missouri Valley High School

Fire Recipients

• Thomas Ahl – Louisville High School
• Ethan Bernard – St. Albert High School
• Alexis Buesing – Millard West High School
• Garrison Dodge – Oakland-Craig High School
• Tyson Guzman – Westside High School
• Paige Holdsworth – Millard North High School
• Colton Mallory – Fort Calhoun High School
• Chaylea Mandina – Gretna High School
• Camryn McLaughlin – Lincoln Southwest High School
• Brad Noble – Papillion LaVista High School
• Tate Patera – Platteview High School
• Bethany Stratton – Yutan High School
• Katherine Swan – Elkhorn High School
• Maximus Wold – Bellevue East High School

Recipients: remember to tell your school about your award so it can be included alongside other scholarship announcements!

We appreciate the hard work and dedication exhibited by all applicants and wish everyone continued success in all future endeavors.

Awards of Excellence Scholarships were made possible thanks to the following donors who fully-funded one or more of the awards: Farmers Insurance, Jim Killips, Carol Stolp, Mary Rosenthal, Ray Somberg, Terry Headley, Tom Holland, Keith Basham, Susan Wier, Chuck Sederstrom, Al & Teri Batschelet.

The Awards of Excellence Reception was supported by Nelson Murphy Insurance and Investments and Farmers Insurance

The post 2019 Awards of Excellence Recipients Announced appeared first on First Responders Foundation.

Cahill’s race car is wrapped in graphics as a tribute to Deputy Mark Burbridge.

The First Responders Foundation will also be on hand to participate in the tribute lap and raise money to support area first responders.

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We’d like to thank Diann Swigart at First National Bank of Omaha who recently received a $500 employee-directed donation and chose to support the First Responders Foundation! She also organized a team of 6 volunteers to deliver 480 sack lunches to first responders as part of our Annual Appreciation Lunches.

Thank you Diann and her team for supporting first responders and the men and women who put their lives on the line every day.

The post FNB Employee Chooses to Support First Responders with Employee-Directed Donation! appeared first on First Responders Foundation.