BONNERS FERRY — The inaugural Bonners Ferry Rotary First Responders Picnic was held at the Boundary County Fairgrounds on May 20, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. About 125 people attended, with 50 of them being first responders and the rest being family or supporters.

“This is sponsored by the Bonners Ferry Rotary. Today is about giving back to all the first responders and their families and thanking them for their service to the community,” said Rotary Club of Bonners Ferry board member Kristie Campbell as she prepared food for the attendees.

The idea to hold this came from Kevin Mayo and his father, retired Assistant Chief of Police Foster Mayo. Kevin Mayo called his father after a police officer was killed in Dallas. “Kevin was impressed with the support that the Dallas community was giving for those guys and their families,” said Foster Mayo.

Kevin Mayo asked his father if there was anything like that being done in Bonners Ferry. “And we weren’t,” said Foster Mayo, “So we talked several times and the idea sort of germinated. We approached the rotary club and they went all-in to support it. This is our first, and hopefully it will be an annual event.”

All first responders were invited, as well as their families and general public. First responders enjoyed a free lunch provided by the Rotary Club while Shiloh Rising performed for the picnickers.

“We want to make this a family event, said Foster Mayo, “To be successful in emergency services: fire, police, you have to have family support. Without that, you are in serious trouble.”

The picnic allowed first responders and the public to converse and bounce ideas around. “We need to be approachable. People need to feel comfortable coming up to us and talking to us,” said Foster Mayo.

Foster Mayo stressed that they are not identifying these first responders as “heroes”, they are ordinary people. “A lot of them are volunteering to do this on their own, but they do extraordinary things sometimes. They are called upon to run toward the sound of gunfire or the smell of smoke and the cries for help. But that’s their passion as well, so these folks… we just appreciate what they do for us.”

By opening the lines of communication, the hope is that the community will feel more comfortable, and be more willing to report crimes or suspicious activity.

Kevin Mayo grew up around first responders. “It’s a tough life. It’s tough on them,” he said, as he looked at his dad, “It’s dangerous. What’s interesting is that it is the most dangerous job out there, but also, it can be a lot less dangerous if the community helps. So this is really about community reach. If we can reach out to the community and say: If you see a neighbor or if you hear something, or if you know something- talk to us, tell us, call us. We are safer when we know. When we don’t know- we go into a scene or we go into an event unknowing- that’s when it is the most dangerous. There is a lot of crime out there and a lot of things that can be avoided, if we know about it.”

The emphasis of the picnic was to show appreciation to the first responders in this community. For 36 years in law enforcement, Foster Mayo said he could count the number of times people thanked him on one hand. After Sergeant Greg Moore was tragically killed in Coeur d’Alene in 2015, attitudes began to change and more people took time to thank law enforcement for what they were doing. “It’s always been OK to do that for military, but not necessarily for law enforcement,” said Foster Mayo.

Kevin Mayo gave an example: He was traveling through Montana last week and one of the sales persons he worked with was pulled over for doing 84 in an 80 MPH zone.

The County Sheriff approached the car and said, “I had to stop you because we now are 80 instead of 75... and 80 is quite enough.” The driver said he would be happy to pay the fine, but the Sheriff let them go with a warning.

Kevin Mayo stopped him and told him, “Sir, my family is first responders and I thank you for your service.”

The Sheriff responded, “You know what? I haven’t been told thank-you in years. Thank-you. That makes my day.”

Sergeant Willie Cowell, one of the first responders that attended the picnic, said, “I can’t express the gratitude that the police department has, as first responders, for the efforts put forth by Kevin, as well as Rotary Club. It means a lot to us to have an event that is dedicated to first responders here in Boundary County; to be recognized.”

“I just really wanted to say thank-you,” said Kevin Mayo. “This is an opportunity to tell all those people that don’t get paid enough to do dangerous work: Thank you… and it means something.”