VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — It was a hot Saturday morning in Virginia Beach, but that didn’t stop first responders, public officials and residents from attending the “Honoring the Heroes Among Us” event.

Hosted by locally-owned Coastal Edge in the Pembroke Square parking lot, the event was an effort to connect residents and public safety personnel in a fun way to learn more about what they do.

“The great thing about working in public service, and especially being a police officer, is having the connection to our community like you see today,” said Virginia Beach Police Deputy Chief Sean Adams, who has been with the department for 37 years.

Adams and others agreed events like “Honoring the Heroes Among Us” is a great way to meet the people they serve.

“I understand that there are times where we meet people, sometimes, on their worst day,” Adams said. “But on a day like today, when we get the opportunity to interact with our citizens, when they’re out here to support us, that makes a difference.”

Coastal Edge president Deepak Nachnahi is a proud supporter of our local first responders.

“This is our way of saying thank you out loud,” he said. “Our heroes are our neighbors, family and friend. On day of gratitude for a lifetime of service.”

Despite the heat, people joined together in the parking lot to honor our first responders. It’s an opportunity public safety officials said was appreciated.

“He’s done this for several years now. Really appreciate D and his team doing this, on an annual basis,” Adams said. “It gives us an opportunity to get out. Chief Paul Neudigate, the other deputy chiefs are out here. It shows you how important it is for us to be able to be out here with our police officers from special operations, the third precinct, and really all over the police department to interact with our citizens.”

Another exciting part of the day, was the opportunity for kids to speak with law enforcement and fire officials to learn more about their jobs. It’s an attempt to show young minds the exciting paths they can take in a public safety career.

“There’s nothing like public service, but especially law enforcement. It’s the most noble thing I think a person can do to not only be able to help people who need help, but serve a community,” Adams said.

To explore careers with the City of Virginia Beach, click here.

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