On Thursday, Jan. 15, the Union County Georgia 1st Responder Organization achieved a public relations milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce, held at Union County Fire Station No. 1.
The first meeting of UCGA1R took place in January 2024, with incorporation in May 2024 and, after additional planning, a public unveiling in March 2025. Prior to last week, however, the organization had not yet gotten the opportunity to do a ribbon cutting.
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Organizational Manager Magdalie “Maggie” Guerrier, who serves as an emergency dispatcher at Union County E-911, used the celebration as an opportunity to look back on what the gathering meant for the fundraising and financial aid distribution nonprofit.
“Today is our two-year anniversary when everybody from every department showed up at First United Methodist Church, and we started this organization to help all our first responders,” recalled Guerrier.
Fire Chief David Dyer spoke a bit about the goal of UCGA1R, boiling it down to “helping the people who are out here helping people.”
“If we have first responders who have issues or problems, that’s what this organization is geared to, is to help these people in their time of need,” Dyer explained.
Others beyond Union County’s front-line heroes came out to show their support, including Craig Davenport of the Union County Gun Range – himself a former sheriff’s deputy – and Ben Turner of Chick-fil-A.
As they went around the room introducing themselves, people spoke about what first responders meant to them, including Chamber Events Coordinator Rachel Post, who shared her gratitude for the response she received during a recent family emergency.
“Last week, I unfortunately had one of my first encounters with first responders when my 1-year-old had a seizure,” Post said. “He’s OK now, but my whole experience with the call center and the team that came out to see him was wonderful. Thank you guys for helping. It’s invaluable.”
Connections like that are what Guerrier hopes to foster among the community and first responders, noting a general drop in public opinion on a national level.
To combat negative perceptions, UCGA1R has been compiling photos and stories of local first responders to create online biographies that humanize Union County’s “behind-the-scenes heroes.”
The ribbon cutting itself was met with applause and a quick group photo to commemorate the occasion, and Guerrier saw unity again when it came to sharing a meal with her fellow first responders and the guests who came out to celebrate with them.
That’s the second goal of the organization – to rally around first responders and show them that they’re not alone.
A large focus of the group has been on fundraising in order to step in and help if a local first responder is in need of financial aid, but Guerrier said another aim is to raise awareness for mental health and provide a safe space where emergency personnel and law enforcement can find like-minded support.
“A lot of first responders dealing with the major calls don’t have an outlet; they hold it in – that’s what we learn to do,” Guerrier said. “But now, we’re trying to let all first responders know they have another option.”
“Come to us, and we will try to send you to a different place to get help,” continued Guerrier, offering the example of a PTSD group that meets every Saturday. “First responders do not ask for help; that’s a no-no. But if we show that we’re family and we have resources, that might help.”
While folks sympathetic to the cause can donate via the group’s website at www.ucga1r.com, Guerrier also wants to encourage more interaction between first responders and the community they serve. Something as simple as greeting someone in passing can make a difference, she said.
“We want them to see our faces, to know who we are,” Guerrier said, for the purposes of building rapport, inspiring friendships and ensuring first responder safety on multiple fronts. Having a support system can help mental health, and being mindful of first responders doing their jobs can save lives.
For example, the Georgia Move Over Law requires drivers to move over to the other lane if they see an emergency vehicle with flashing lights on the shoulder of the highway; Guerrier lost three friends due to a careless driver not following that law.
Ultimately, she hopes that if more people are made aware of the dangers first responders face every day, they may practice more caution.
The stated purpose of UCGA1R is “to provide an avenue for the collection and distribution of funds with the intent of providing assistance to employees and their immediate family members of the Union County Fire Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office, Union County E-911, Union General EMS, Blairsville Police Department, Union County School Resource Officers in the event of an illness or life altering emergency.”
