The City of Turlock is inviting the community to join in a salute to the emergency responders serving Turlock with an unveiling and dedication of the Stand Behind the Line.

Stand Behind the Line is striping on the Joe Gallison Memorial Parkway that is meant to serve as a symbol of the community’s support for the men and women who work in the police, fire and emergency dispatch services. The striping along the pathway, which runs along Canal Drive, is blue, red and gold.

The ribbon cutting and plaque dedication will be at 9 a.m. Friday at the parkway on Canal Drive, between Johnson Road and Berkeley Avenue.

The Turlock City Council approved the motion to honor the community’s emergency responders in March.

"This Council is constantly striving to recognize the selfless efforts of all our employees, specifically those of our public safety officers,” said Turlock Mayor Gary Soiseth. “Lt. Neil Cervenka and I had a conversation about ways our city could show our appreciation for law enforcement, which came upon the idea of a blue line painted along a running trail.

“It was former City Manager Gary Hampton's idea to add both a red and gold line, both to also honor our firefighters and dispatchers,” Soiseth said. “Together, these three lines signify a unity of effort among our departments as they work together to protect our city."

This is the first community tribute made to honor all of Turlock’s emergency responders, but Soiseth expects it will not be the last.

"We have the best firefighters, police officers and dispatchers in the entire region,” Soiseth said. “They selflessly serve our community and they sacrifice time with their own families to protect ours. These lines should just be the start of our efforts to make our departments feel even more supported by their city.

"It's our hope that we are able to do more than just paint a red, gold, and blue line to appreciate our public safety officers, so I have a feeling we will be unveiling other projects in the future," Soiseth said.