First Responders Honored at West Virginia Festival

May 10—FAIRMONT—In honor of those who are always there first in the time of need, citizens of Marion County gathered at Palatine Park Saturday in recognition of first responders.

The First Responders Day festival was the first of its kind in Marion County and was organized by the Marion County Commissioner as well as Belinda Biafore and Sabrina Haught.

"To initiate the opening of the park this spring, we thought that we would do the First Responders Day festival," Biafore said.

Haught added to Biafore's comments by explaining that this was the perfect event to kick off the year at Palatine Park.

"The county commission wanted to show some appreciation to the first responders of the county," Haught said. "So we just jumped headstrong into it and made it happen."

Those in attendance included firefighters, policemen, members of the Marion County Rescue Squad, Homeland Security as well as emergency management and 911 dispatch personnel.

The idea to hold such an event honoring first responders blossomed from the recent Christmas parade, where the fleets of first responders were blessed and given a cross as they walked in the parade, county commissioner Randy Elliott explained.

"We had 100 percent participation when we did that," Elliott explained. "We thought that with such an idea and how important they are to us, our fire departments, EMS squads, police departments and 911 dispatchers, they save lives, and I think it's important that we recognize them."

Elliott presented various awards to the first responders. These awards varied based on what they were honoring, some being named after previous first responders and others simply were acknowledgments such as "First Responder Law Enforcement Officer of the Year" or "EMS Provider of the Year."

The award winners were chosen after letters were sent to each of the departments asking for nominations.

"We asked each department, whether it was the fire departments, EMS, etc., to fill out a survey and describe why the person deserved the nomination," Biafore explained. "Once we got those back in and compiled, we were able to pick the winner for each award."

Throughout the afternoon, guests not only honored these brave community members, but also had fun themselves.

The band "Jenna Won't Sing" provided entertainment before and after the award ceremony, and fun activities for kids and families were set up throughout the park.

In the parking area behind Palatine Park, a dunk tank was set up to raise money. Bouncy houses were provided for kids, and vendors sold food and drinks.

A zip line was available at the top to the hill, and kids had the chance to get their faces painted as well.

The event Saturday was a huge success, according to organizers, and marked the first of what they hope will be an annual event moving forward, as Elliott and Haught explained.

"Today has been a tremendous success with a lot of hard work that went into it," Elliott said. "We hope to make this an annual event, which I'm sure that we will."

"It was successful today. The weather was beautiful, and next year it will continue," Haught said. "There were a lot of good memories, a bit of tears, a bit of smiles and a lot of 'yahoos!'"

The importance of the first responders is something that all of the event organizers recognize, and that was their motivation for putting the work into making it happen.

"I think it's very important for the first responders who sacrifice themselves the way that they do and put themselves in harm's way to protect us and our families," Elliott explained. "They ought to be recognized.

"Life really becomes precious when you're about to lose it," Elliott explained. "We depend on all these people who have saved a lot of lives in Marion County over the years."

Biafore echoed Elliott's comments and was honored to help organize the inaugural First Responders Day festival.

"These people put their lives on the line every day," Biafore explained. "A lot of them are volunteers, and they never say no."

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