Community partnerships help drive Fort McCoy’s support of National Night Out
For the Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services (DES), the annual event represents far more than displaying emergency vehicles or handing out informational materials. It is an opportunity to reinforce the installation's longstanding partnership with neighboring communities while demonstrating the Army's commitment to community engagement.
Fort McCoy has supported National Night Out events in the Tomah and Sparta, Wis., communities for many years, sending law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency services personnel to interact with residents and local first responders. The installation routinely supports both communities' events while maintaining close working relationships with municipal police, fire, and emergency medical agencies throughout Monroe County.
According to Fort McCoy Directorate of Emergency Services Director Micah Komp, those partnerships are essential to the installation's mission.
“Our partnerships with our local law enforcement and emergency services are extremely important to us,” Komp said during the 2023 Monroe County National Night Out in Tomah. “We regularly, through our fire and emergency services, support both the Sparta and Tomah communities, and they also support us.”
That mutual support extends beyond emergency response.
Komp said many members of Fort McCoy’s workforce are also members of the surrounding communities, making National Night Out a meaningful opportunity to connect with neighbors outside of emergency situations.
“For a lot of us, we are in the community,” Komp said. “We are members of the community. We live here. This is our home. Being part of this is a privilege, but it's also extremely important to us because Fort McCoy is part of the community.”
National Night Out, organized annually by the National Association of Town Watch, encourages law enforcement agencies and communities across the country to build stronger relationships through informal conversations, family activities, and public safety demonstrations.
For Fort McCoy, participation aligns with one of the Army's longstanding priorities — maintaining strong relationships with surrounding communities.
Army installations rely on partnerships with neighboring municipalities every day. Those partnerships include mutual aid agreements for fire protection and emergency response, coordinated law enforcement efforts, emergency planning, training exercises, and collaboration during large-scale incidents. Events such as National Night Out provide an opportunity to strengthen those professional relationships while allowing community members to become more familiar with the people behind the uniforms.
“The men and women of law enforcement and fire and emergency services are part of the community,” Komp said. “They are here to serve and support the community. This is a great opportunity for those individuals to meet and interact with the community.”
He said those conversations help build trust and understanding long before an emergency occurs.
“It’s a good chance to talk with people in the community and for them to get to talk with us,” Komp said. “It's just a great experience to be part of the community and to interact with the people we support.”
That philosophy reflects the Army's broader commitment to community engagement.
Across Army installations, Soldiers and civilian employees regularly volunteer in schools, participate in civic organizations, support local ceremonies and commemorations, provide educational outreach, and take part in community events. At Fort McCoy, those efforts include participation in Armed Forces Day Open House activities, Memorial Day and Veterans Day observances, educational partnerships with local schools, employer outreach programs, economic development initiatives, and community events such as National Night Out.
These engagements help strengthen relationships with local governments, businesses, veteran organizations, schools, and residents while increasing awareness of Fort McCoy's role as one of the Army's premier Total Force training installations.
Komp said National Night Out remains one of the installation's favorite annual opportunities to engage with the public.
“Fort McCoy has been supporting these events for many years,” he said. “We’re invited every year, and we’re happy to support both the Tomah and Sparta events. We’ve (often) got police, fire, and emergency services personnel supporting both communities, and we are absolutely thrilled to be here and happy to support.”
As Fort McCoy continues to train Soldiers from all components of the Armed Forces, its participation in community events such as National Night Out demonstrates that the installation's commitment extends beyond its gates.
Through partnerships, outreach, and shared service, Fort McCoy continues to strengthen the relationships that support both the installation and the communities it calls home.
Fort McCoy has supported America’s armed forces since 1909. Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The post’s varied terrain, state-of-the-art ranges, new as well as renovated facilities, and extensive support infrastructure combine to provide military personnel with an environment in which to develop and sustain the skills necessary for mission success.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on DVIDS by visiting https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/FMPAO.
Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
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