First responders honor Porter Regional Hospital staff

Solidarity, love, and respect filled the air in a spectacular lighted display as dozens of first responders circled Porter Regional Hospital with their rigs and vehicles Saturday night to thank the hospital staff for their courage and dedication during the pandemic.

The vehicles filed in one by one, and at 7 p.m. sharp, at hospital shift change, they engaged their lights as the responders cheered and waved at staff coming out of the hospital doors.

Due to masks, you could only see their eyes – and most were full of tears – but hospital staff stood in awe, nearly all of them saying, “Wow” – almost in unison.

The idea sprouted in conversation between Union Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mark Werno and other departments. From there, nearly every first responding department in Porter County did what they did best – mobilized quickly to pull it together.