Community, emergency services come together for Night Out in Bayou Vista

BBAYOU VISTA – Law enforcement officers, firefighters and the people they serve got together Wednesday for a National Night Out event at the Bayou Vista Community Center.

Many of those people were children who got to meet police officers and firefighters and see the equipment they use.

There were lots of “ooohs” and “ahhhs,” not least for the Bayou Vista Volunteer Fire Department truck that lifted a firefighter high above the Community Center parking lot.

Sheriff’s Office Lt. Eddie Gay, a supervisor of detectives, was at a table to talk about his other job: being a member of the office’s Dive Team. He demonstrated underwater breathing gear, the radio divers use to communicate with the surface and a diving helmet, all for the passing kids.

“The little ones are like, ‘eh,’” Gay said. “The ones over 10 and the young teens know more about what it is.

“You tell them you can breathe underwater, and they perk up.”

Detective Lt. Bart Lange and Lt. Gary Keller also talked about another maritime pursuit. They are the Sheriff’s Office Marine Section.

They talked about their work from a trailered 26-foot boat with a 350-horsepower outboard engine.

The work, Lange said, is often about helping boaters.

“People get lost,” he said. “They run out of gas. They get stuck in the tides. … It’ll sneak up on you.”

The job is “marine law enforcement and search and rescue,” Lange said. “It’s a good job.”

Deputy Noah Fryou was among the Sheriff’s Office personnel showing the office’s MRAP. It’s a military vehicle designed to carry troops and to offer protection against land mines.

The vehicle’s construction makes it handy for driving through high water.

The Morgan City High fishing team was a big part of the night’s fun. The team ran a game in which kids could cast for plastic fish set down on the parking lot and try to bring them in.

Coach Glenn Blanco said that the young anglers who caught the most fish during the playing of a 4-minute song got a prize. Then the other fishermen got a prize, too.