For those first responders who face danger every day they work, there are people who offer support when things go terribly wrong.BackStoppers is an organization that helps the families of first responders, and it relies on donations.BackStoppers in St. Louis held its trademark fund-raising event, Guns’n’Hoses, Thanksgiving week. The event pairs cops and firefighters in boxing matches. They are appropriately padded in full fighting gear.It’s fun stuff. But for those who like their charity events less sweaty and more demur, the Warren County BackStoppers is hosting its seventh annual dinner dance Saturday, Feb. 18. It’s an important event for the organization.Jeff Backhaus is chief of the Marthasville Volunteer Fire Department and also chairman of the Warren County BackStoppers Committee.“We have workers’ compensation, like everyone else,” he said. “There’s no special insurance for first responders. BackStoppers is what covers us.”The dinner dance has raised more than $250,000 to date thanks to sponsors, guests and other supporters in Warren County. The money goes to St. Louis where it is then prioritized among the families within the organizations 18-county service area.BackStoppers has been coming to the rescue of first responders in the St. Louis area since 1959. It offers financial assistance to spouses and dependent children of police officers, firefighters and EMT/paramedics who have lost their lives or suffered a catastrophic injury while on the job.When something happens, BackStoppers immediately gives the spouse $5,000, no questions asked, to handle the family’s immediate needs. After a few weeks, the family meets with BackStoppers to determine their ongoing financial needs.Backhaus said the goal for BackStoppers is to provide enough financial help so that the family can pay bills, remain in their home, attend the same schools, still plan for higher education, etc.BackStoppers has supported 160 families since it was formed. Currently, it supports 81 families with 66 dependent children.Of those being served are the families of three Warren County officers. They are:• Paul J. Fricke, Hawk Point police chief and corporal for the Warren County Sheriff’s Department. Fricke died in a car accident in 2010.• Lonnie Cole, with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department, who died in 2003.• Vernon Seals, of the Truesdale police department, who died in 2002 when he was hit by a car being chased by police.Fricke, Cole and Seals will be remembered Feb. 18 at St. Ignatius Community Center in Concord Hill. The event is from 4:30 p.m. to midnight and includes a buffet dinner, silent and oral auctions and a dance.Tickets are $25 per person, and they go fast. To purchase tickets call or stop by the Marthasville Volunteer Fire Department or the Warrenton Fire Protection District.Backhaus said, “It means a lot to me knowing that if something does happen to first responders, their families are taken care of.”BackStoppers