JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
In an effort strengthen partnerships between emergency first responders and the local community, Joint Base Andrews members participated National Night Out events held in Clinton, Md., as well as Liberty Park on JBA, Aug. 1.
Since 1984, NNO educated the public about crime and drug awareness and prevention while strengthening police-community partnerships across the U.S. Nationwide, more than 16,000 communities have participated in this event. Annually, Prince George’s County residents have the opportunity to interact with the county’s police and fire department, as well as their Air Force counterparts from JBA.
“National Night Out provides a great opportunity for us, as Airmen, to come out and build comradery in our community and display our different response capabilities,” said Senior Airman Paul Christiansen, 11th CES EOD journeyman. “Because we can be called on to support law enforcement, it’s important for us to not only build relationships with our potential partners, but also with local residents so that they have some familiarity about who we are and what we do.”
Members of 11th Civil Engineer Squadron, including firefighters and explosive ordnance disposal technicians, 11th Security Forces Group patrolmen and 11th Medical Group technicians represented JBA during the event.
During the event, JBA members allowed attendees to interact with some of the tools first responders use to accomplish their mission, including operating an F6A EOD robot and a fire truck hose.
“I appreciate the Air Force coming out here and showing us some of what you do to protect this country,” said Tony Williams, local resident. “Seeing [my sons] interact and have fun with military members is really a joy. I’m really impressed with all I see from the Air Force.”