First Responders Run Honors Officer Bell

CARIBOU, Maine (WAGM) - If you drove through Caribou the morning of May 29th, you may have seen runners and emergency vehicles gathered for the Caribou Tech Center’s annual Future First Responder Run and Touch-a-Truck event. This year, the event was held in memory of former officer Doug Bell, who passed away earlier this month.

In Caribou, students, teachers, first responders, and community members spent the morning taking part in a 5K run. Former Caribou Tech teacher Jesse Belanger started the event back in 2023 as a way for future first responders and students at Caribou Tech to connect, promote fitness, and learn more about public safety careers.

“This has been great. I’m really, really happy. It touches my heart to see Mrs. Amanda keeping this tradition alive and turning it into an annual event and it’s’ really special for me to come back and see some of the students that I taught come back and participate no that they’re working in the public safety fields,” said Jesse Belanger, the former Caribou Tech Criminal Justice & EMT Teacher.

This year’s event carried even more meaning as the community ran in honor of late Officer Doug Bell. Amanda Korhonen, the Caribou Tech Criminal Justice & Outdoor Rec Teacher said, “It’s been really fun and this year we did it in honor of Officer Doug Bell who recently just passed away and so that really meant a lot to me. He was my partner at the caribou Police department and so I wanted to make sure it was special.”

For many runners, the event was more than just a race. It was a chance to remember someone who made an impact on the community. Zoey Baker, one of the 5k runners said: “It’s so wonderful to see all these people come be here honoring him. The last time I saw him was actually at the spaghetti dinner. He was a very great man and I know that my mom loved him very much and my family’s gonna miss him a lot.”

Addilyn Powers, another runner added, “I really enjoyed it and I thought it was really fun because you get to run with all of your friends and you get to honor a police officer that served our community.”

“It was really fun to honor somebody that worked really hard and did a lot for our community,” said runner Eamon Powers.

“I think it’s very inspirational especially because I know he did a lot for our community and I think it’s just beautiful how people come here and honor him,” added runner Peyton Gorneault.

The day ended with a Touch-a-Truck event, where students had the chance to explore the vehicles first responders use and learn more about the work they do. Organizers say they hope to continue growing the event each year while keeping its focus on community, service, and supporting the next generation of first responders.