Honoring First Responders

The U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division will recognize Palm Beach State College’s Public Safety programs and its partner agencies at an Honoring First Responders Forever stamp dedication on Thursday, November 15, at 2 p.m. The dedication will take place at the college’s Public Safety Conference Center on the Lake Worth Campus at 4200 Congress Avenue. Honoring First Responders Forever stamps and related collectible items will be sold at the dedication.  

The event is free and is open to the public. Postal employees may attend as an off-the-clock activity.

The college trains the most first responders in Palm Beach County. The dedication will recognize the college’s Criminal Justice Institute, Emergency Medical Services, and Firefighter Academy, as well as its partner agencies in Corrections, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Rescue, and Law Enforcement. West Palm Beach Postmaster Ernie Onody and Inspector In Charge Antonio J. Gomez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division will present framed enlargements of the Honoring First Responders Forever stamp to these groups.

Emergencies of all varieties and scales occur in our communities every day, from crimes and medical incidents to accidents and fires. These critical situations require men and women who possess the training and knowledge to rescue the endangered, treat the injured, and restore safety and order. First responders are found throughout our society, from small townships to the federal government. They include a wide range of law enforcement professionals and public safety personnel, from air marshals and transit police officers, to ski patrollers, park rangers, and fish and game wardens. For many, it is a volunteer job; for others, it is their full-time occupation.

The digital illustration on this stamp is a symbolic scene that shows three first responders in profile as they race into action. First is a firefighter carrying an ax, second is an Emergency Medical Services worker with an emergency bag, and third is a law enforcement officer shining a flashlight. The dark background and signs of smoke around the figures suggest the wide range of situations that demand the immediate attention of a first responder.