Staff photo / Ed Runyan Hubbard Mayor Ben Kyle stands in front of a fire truck and police cars during a dedication ceremony for the newly named Hubbard First Responders Bridge on Main Street just north of St. Patrick Catholic Church Saturday morning.

HUBBARD — In recent years, three bridges in the city have been dedicated to military veterans –the first ones ever in Hubbard — but Mayor Ben Kyle said Saturday that it was important for the newest bridge dedication to honor safety forces because first responders are a “pillar of the community,” like having a great school system and churches.

Kyle spoke at the dedication of the Hubbard First Responders Bridge on Main Street just north of St. Patrick Catholic Church, which included a ribbon cutting at the bridge and safety forces — Hubbard and Hubbard Township police officers and firefighters –making a trip over the bridge for the first time after the ribbon was cut.

Pastor Dave Garlich, the Hubbard Police Department chaplain, also spoke, saying “being a first responder doesn’t come naturally to people. Those who have been gifted to respond as a first responder to trauma are able to do so by God. A first responder has to enter a situation that is really unknown,” he said.

“They are to expertly remediate the immediate challenge, have to walk in blind, assess and do what is necessary to bring more normalcy to that which is traumatic,” he said. And whether the person who has been injured is known to the first responder or not, “commitment to the task must remain unchanged,” he said. A first responder’s training enables him or her to do that in ways that other people cannot, he said.

“I don’t handle trauma well,” he said. “And I’m so grateful for those who are able to do that, a God given ability.” He said it is unknown how people in trauma will react.

“When the first responder enters the situation, (he or she will encounter) not only the trauma but also those who are acting irrationally because they have been traumatized. Most of us will become irrational when trauma touches our families or our neighbors,” he said.

“To dedicate this bridge is a memorial to those who pursue God’s given design in their vocational choice as a first responder. These trained professionals — law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical services — have the fortitude and emotional stability to be confronted by crises that would unravel most of us.”

He said naming the bridge the Hubbard First Responders Bridge is “eternal memorial gratitude to those who bridge the gap between trauma and normal for so many, bringing manageable peace to the disquiet of living in a traumatized world,” he said.

FIRE DISTRICT

After the bridge dedication, the Joint Eagle Fire District celebrated the 150th anniversary of the fire district’s start as the Hubbard Volunteer Fire District in 1875. Resolutions from Hubbard and Hubbard Township officials were read during a ceremony in front of the fire station. The city and township are served by the fire district.

The Hubbard Township resolution pointed out some interesting historical facts, including the purchases the firefighting organization made in May of 1885 — 12 leather buckets for $36 and a 12-wheel hook and ladder truck with pickaxes, buckets and lanterns for $413.25.

The proclamation from Hubbard officials states that “since its founding in 1875, the Fire District has grown through the commitment of generations of firefighters — both volunteer and career — who have answered the call of duty, often at great personal risk.”

Hubbard Councilman Mike Mogg said at the event that the advancements made at the department in 150 years are “amazing — from a bucket brigade to horse drawn pumpers, to what we have today, modern technology.”

He said the “men and women of this department should be honored to have served on and serve on this department,” including full-time fire chief Ron Stanish.

Stanish said. “We couldn’t be here today without past employees, firefighters, fire marshals. It’s just a great day to be here and be a part of this organization.”