Buckle buddy

Coos Bay Fire Department Chief Stan Gibson buckles a bicycle helmet onto Tyler Larson, 6, at Station 1 in downtown Coos Bay on Wednesday. The department is the distributor for the Bay Area Optimist club, which purchased more than 150 helmets for kids this year. Firefighters are handing out free helmets on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Optimist members have worked with the department for five years to distribute more than 1,000 helmets. Gibson said the program grows just a little each year, and that there is continuity in the existing group of beneficiaries. “We’re seeing kids coming in for bigger helmets, and that’s great,” said Gibson.