Firefighter Training

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between first responders and autistic people. 

Bella Caracta at WOWT-TV in Omaha:

 Papillion firefighters started their training Wednesday morning learning what not to do.

In 2017, a Buckeye, Arizona police officer confronted a teenage boy with autism. He ended up tackling him, and the boy sustained cuts, bruises, and an ankle injury that needed surgery. The officer claims he thought the boy was using drugs.

After showing the video Autism Action Partnership (AAP) based in Omaha encouraged metro responders to add one question to their routine: “Could it be autism?”

“You have the training to come on scene and you ask all sorts of questions to evaluate what kind of situation you’re dealing with. Where’s the danger? What do I need to do first? If we just add, ‘Could it be autism?’ to that list of questions, it’s really going to reframe the way you might approach a situation,” said Michaela Ahrens with AAP.


Throughout the month, AAP is working to help first responders improve their understanding of autism in hopes of helping those on the spectrum in an emergency safely and smoothly.

During the training, the group did interactive exercises to get a better understanding of autism. Aherns had them complete complex tasks while blaring a siren to simulate an emergency situation.

“It can be chaotic,” she said.

The exercises pushed the first responders to consider how emergency situations may further stress those with autism.

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Police Training

AP reports:

Scott Schuelke, who has 25 years' worth of law enforcement experience, has trained close to 10,000 people at 300 training seminars across the state [Michigan] and country in the past three years. His seminars are designed to provide details to police, firefighters and other first responders about the group of developmental disabilities that can involve language and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors.

"We're teaching (first-responders) how to communicate, how to interact, how to work with a family member or care provider," said Schuelke, a retired Lansing police sergeant who now works as an autism safety specialist with the Autism Alliance of Michigan.

Mark Boody, a police sergeant in the Detroit suburb of Novi, Michigan, who has attended Schuelke's seminars, wishes he'd known earlier what he now knows about the disorder.

"After the training, thinking back, 'Wow. I bet that person (I encountered) could be someone with autism,'" Boody said. "Now, knowing that ahead of time, we're just not going to automatically assume the negative."

Training First Responders

Today profiles Bill Cannata, an autism dad and firefighter who trains first responders across the country:


 

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More on First Responders

The Boston Globe reports on a program for first responders:

Westwood Fire Captain Bill Cannata has spent the last six years teaching first-responder firefighters how to recognize the symptoms of autism at an emergency scene so they know how to best approach someone with the disorder who is in distress.

The first-of-its-kind program, which has reached 17,000 professionals in all corners of New England, will now expand to 13 other states, including Oklahoma and West Virginia, with the help of a $52,780 federal Assistance to Firefighters grant from the Department of Homeland Security.

Cannata helped launch the Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition in 2005 as a collaboration with the Norfolk district attorney’s office and the South Norfolk County ARC’s Family Autism Center. Startup funding came from the Dedham Institution for Savings.

Today the program is funded through the Autism Spectrum Division of the state Department of Mental Retardation, to the tune of some $35,000 a year, augmented by various small grants. The new federal grant will allow Cannata and his business partner and the center’s director, Betsy Roche, to go national.

Also see a story from Indiana.

Firefighters and Autism

Previous posts have dealt with the often-troubled interactions between police officers and people with autism. But other first responders also need to be aware of autism. Fire Captain John M. Sokol writes to his colleagues:

A first responder is seven times more likely to come in contact with an individual with autism than the average person. If you haven't already met someone with autism, you soon will.

...

When you are first made aware a situation involves an individual with autism, first and foremost, when possible arrive on scene without the use of sirens or flashing lights.

Sound and light sensitivity is common in autism and may trigger a seizure or cause the individual to shut down or hide, making the situation worse.

Next, there are key questions you should ask a parent or caregiver ranging from, "Is the individual verbal or non-verbal? How does the individual react under stress? What usually works to calm them down?" Knowing the answers can save you valuable time by letting you know what to expect and what approach to take.

Both children and adults with autism are likely to hide in a fire situation. Your search should include any tight, out-of-the way place you would least expect to find someone.

Upon finding the individual the first responder should speak slowly, with clear directions and not with force, which could cause the individual to possibly shut down further.

Please bring the proper tools for the situation. Forced entry or exit will be most likely. Families often need to lock doors, including interior doors, to keep individuals with autism from wandering. Barred, nailed or locked windows along with Plexiglas or Lexan windows can make access or escape a problem for rescues.

Some individuals with autism may be sensitive to touch, while others do not have a normal range of sensations and may not feel the cold, heat or pain in a typical manner.

...

Don't let individuals with autism out of your sight — they may be a bolt risk after rescue. Someone must stay with the individual at all times as, not comprehending danger, the individual may run out into traffic or back into a place they were just rescued from.

Needless to say, these cautions do not apply to all ASD people. Not all have seizures. Many are highly verbal and are not at risk for bolting.