This photo is being shared with Bobby Poynton’s explicit permission and blessing.
Bobby went to work that day to help people. He ended up being the one who needed help.
On that call, Bobby was stabbed. His lieutenant was stabbed. A medic was stabbed.
But the impact did not stop with the people who were physically injured.
It rippled through the firefighters and medics who were there, the people who responded in the aftermath, the coworkers who watched their own become patients, the families who received the phone calls, and the departments that had to process what happened and then keep showing up for the next call.
This was one incident, and an extreme example.
But it reflects a reality firefighters, medics, healthcare workers, and other helping professionals live with every day: any call can change quickly.
Most calls do not end like this.
Some do.
And the potential for violence can emerge with very little warning.
That is why preparation matters.
Never Forgotten Services, PLLC is working with Gracie Medical Defense to build a local training capability here in East Central Illinois.
In September, four local instructors will attend Gracie Medical Defense’s 40-hour instructor training in Springfield. Once trained, they will be able to bring this training home and help better prepare firefighters, EMS personnel, healthcare workers, and other helping professionals for situations where the person they came to help becomes the threat.
The total cost of this effort is $13,900:
• $12,800 for four instructor training slots
• Approximately $1,100 for lodging
We already have $8,000 committed.
That leaves $5,900 still needed.
We are not asking the community to build this from scratch. Local support has already put more than half of the funding in place.
We are asking you to help us finish it.
$1. $5. $10. $25. $100. $1,000. $10,000.
Whatever you can give helps.
Please note: contributions to this campaign are not being represented as tax-deductible charitable donations. Never Forgotten Services, PLLC is not a 501(c)(3) organization, and funds raised will be used specifically for the Gracie Medical Defense instructor training and associated lodging costs described above.
This is bigger than sending four people to a class.
We are building the ability to train and better prepare the people who show up for us when things go wrong.
If you know a business owner, organization, department, or individual who might believe in this mission, put this in front of them.
$5,900 left. Help us bring this training home.
