Every year the Leadership Carbon graduates complete a community project, and this year’s was unique.

They held a “First Responders’ Expo” on Thursday at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater grounds in Mahoning Township.

Maureen Donovan, facilitator for Leadership Carbon, said the participation by emergency responders was “wonderful.” On hand were fire departments from throughout Carbon County, ambulance squads, local police department, state police, the Carbon County Sheriff’s office, the American Red Cross, two local hospitals and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry.

There also were several service organizations, the U.S. Air Force with a model plastic jet in which small children were able to sit, food trucks, commercial vendors and miscellaneous groups.

Despite a hazardous weather watch issued and threatening skies, several hundred people attended. No precipitation fell during the event.

Donovan said this year’s Leadership Carbon Class had 14 graduates. All 14 members of the class assisted with the event.

She said when the class got together to decide on a community project, “Everybody was saying, ‘We have so many first responders,’ so let’s do something with them.”

The graduates wanted to do a project with children and be an information center, so they decided on the expo, Donovan said.

“It was great because all the members in the class had different skills to contribute,” she said. “This was a larger undertaking than they were required to do.”

Linda Rex, administrative assistant for the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development, said she was very pleased with the turnout of first responders.

She is program coordinator for Leadership Carbon under the auspices of the chamber.

Besides getting to climb on fire apparatus, meet police officers and look at the interior of an ambulance, the people attending were treated to a lot of little gifts such as pens, hand sanitizer, note pads and coloring books.

Strolling the grounds and greeting the children were Smokey Bear, presented by the Bureau of Forestry, and Clawrence the Cougar, mascot of the Lehigh Carbon Community College.

One of the first responder units was the water rescue squad of the Lehighton Fire Department, which brought with them their rescue boat and related equipment.

Aerial trucks from Lehighton and Palmerton fire departments extended their ladders high into the sky.

Some organizations handed out literature.

Turn to Us, which provides autism and cancer support, gave out literature about their services and handed out pens.

The American Red Cross and Miller-Keystone Blood Center both had representatives at the event.

Miller-Keystone Blood Center had literature about an upcoming 9/11 display.

The 9/11 Never Forget Memorial Exhibit will be on display at 1465 Valley Center Parkway, Bethlehem, on July 16 and 17. The center has set a goal of collecting 343 pints of blood on that day, one for each firefighter who died as a result of the terrorist attack.

The Air Force model jet was brought to the event by the U.S. Air Force 314 Recruiting Office in Burlington, New Jersey. About 10 Air Force members were present to talk to the youngsters and answer questions.

The Jim Thorpe Police Department showed off a new, enclosed trailer it has placed into service. The trailer will eventually be converted into a command center so police can operate from it during lengthy incidents. It will be equipped with a computer system and other emergency equipment. Presently it is used for storage for traffic control equipment and some mass casualty items, that could be used in the event of a bus accident or other multi-victim emergency.

Tracy Thompson of Jim Thorpe was present with two small children. She said, “This is wonderful. The kids are enjoying it and I think my son wants to become a police officer now. I hope they do this again.”