Bettendorf Police Officer Carter Himmelman shows student Aurora Ramirez, 16, of Moline, some of police equipment during the Fourth Annual First Responders Appreciation and Criminal Justice Career Exploration Day on Friday, Oct. 27, at Black Hawk College in Moline. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Bettendorf Police Department Officer Carter Himmelman was peppered with question after question on Friday, Oct. 27, at Black Hawk College’s campus in Moline. Among them: “How long have you been a police officer?,” “Do you like what you do?” and “What’s your favorite part of the job?” He didn’t mind the questions, in fact, he […]
Bettendorf Police Department Officer Carter Himmelman was peppered with question after question on Friday, Oct. 27, at Black Hawk College’s campus in Moline.Among them: “How long have you been a police officer?,” “Do you like what you do?” and “What’s your favorite part of the job?”
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Seref Onder, director of the Criminal Justice Program at Black Hawk College, welcomes visitors to the Fourth Annual First Responders Appreciation and Criminal Justice Career Exploration Day. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Here are some of the Hero Awards presented on Friday, Oct. 27, by Black Hawk College. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Peyton Sallows, of Port Byron, received the Civilian First Responder Hero Award at a first responders awards event hosted at Black Hawk College. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Michael Ark receives the Certificate of Appreciation award.
East Moline Police Chief Jeff Ramsey, left, is shown with Seref Onder, director of the Criminal Justice Program at Black Hawk College, on Friday. The chief accepted the First Responder Hero Award on behalf of Sgt. William Lind.
Jamie Hartman, left, a paramedic with the Genesis Health System, visits with students on Friday.
The Moline Fire Department received the First Responder Agency of the Year Award.
He didn’t mind the questions, in fact, he welcomed them. They were all part of the Fourth Annual First Responders Appreciation and Criminal Justice Career Exploration Day at Black Hawk College. The day brought together about 130 area high school students and 18 local first-responder agencies to give the students a look at the industry’s careers.“I’m hoping to share with (the students) what’s out there as far as first responder jobs,” Mr. Himmelman said as he showed off police equipment and an armored rescue vehicle from the Bettendorf Police Department.That vehicle and other police equipment brought in the students by the dozens. It also spurred a lot of questions from the students. One of the more interesting questions came after Officer Himmelman put a 50-pound equipment vest on Aurora Ramirez, a 16-year-old student from Moline. She asked if the vest was bulletproof – it is – and “What if a bullet goes through this?”“I hope (a bullet) doesn’t go through. That would be a bad day for me,” he responded.In addition to the police vehicle and equipment, the day featured about nine fire department and EMT vehicles on display in the college parking lot. Many area first responders also were busy handing out information and answering questions at a series of tables in the college’s Sustainable Technologies Building.“This has all been really helpful,” said Ms. Ramirez. “I like the way they did this. … It lets us walk in their shoes a little.”The Moline student added that she hopes to be a police officer or EMT.Friday’s event was presented by the college’s Criminal Justice Program to give students a chance to explore career options in the criminal justice and public safety field, said Seref Onder, the program’s director.Another goal of the event was to honor the life-saving work of the first responders. Mr. Onder called the first responders “superheroes” who help people during some of the toughest times of their lives.Several first responders said they liked the event and were hopeful some of the students will consider jobs in their fields.“We want to show them there is a big variety of careers they can go into,” said Jamie Hartman, a paramedic with the Genesis Health System, who was busy showing students some tools of the trade from his ambulance. “They like the hands-on stuff, instead of just talking about it.”Friday’s event also was used to honor first responders and citizens with Hero Awards. Those awards were presented to people and agencies that performed exceptional work to help the community. Black Hawk Criminal Justice Program students nominated 58 individuals and agencies for the honors.Those awards went to:
First Responder Hero Award: Sgt. William Lind of the East Moline Police Department. Sgt. Lind was severely injured in the line of duty on Oct. 24, 2022, while attempting to arrest a suspect wanted on felony arson charges. “We acknowledge his selfless sacrifice and unwavering commitment to upholding the safety and security of our community,” according to the award certificate. East Moline Police Chief Jeff Ramsey accepted the award on behalf of Sgt. Lind, who did not attend.
Civilian First Responder Hero Award: Peyton Sallows of Port Byron. The 7-year-old girl was honored for helping save her mother’s life “through her exceptional bravery and quick thinking when her mother was experiencing severe anaphylactic shock. Peyton’s courage and composure in this high-stress situation” helped save her mother, according to the award certificate. During Friday’s ceremony, Peyton’s mother Ali Sallows, told the crowd how her daughter was able to call first responders, tell them about the medical situation and get help to save her life.
Certificate of Appreciation: Michael Ark, a medic EMS with the Genesis Ambulance Services. Mr. Ark was also honored for his work in helping save Mrs. Sallows in that incident.
First Responder Agency of the Year: Moline Fire Department. The department was honored for its “exceptional service, unwavering dedication and commitment to the community’s safety,” according to the award certificate.
