Firefighters prepare to assist autistic patients with new tools and training
By Jordan Ryan
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — Oklahoma City firefighters are preparing to use new tools and training to better assist autistic individuals during emergencies, an initiative supported by local partnerships.
Lt. Ryan Woodard of the Oklahoma City Fire Department highlighted the challenges faced by families with special needs during crisis situations.
There are a lot of these families that are just hanging on by their fingernails, you know, trying to get through every day. You have elderly people taking care of adults with all kinds of different special needs. We just need to make sure that we take good care of this population because they’re just trying to get through every day,” Woodard said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 31 children nationally is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, meaning firefighters often encounter patients on the spectrum during calls.
“It can either be that the driver is autistic or the passenger is autistic,” Woodard said.
To address these situations, firefighters will soon have access to communication cards available in both English and Spanish.
“When they’re stressed, we can offer them a communication card. And these are available in both English and in Spanish, and they can indicate to us what they’re wanting and needing, whereas verbalizing those things would be very difficult for them in the middle of an emergency. Seventy percent of our patients are autistic. Patients, when stressed, are going to have a very difficult time communicating whatever is going on,” Woodard said.
Emily Scott, executive director of the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma, emphasized the importance of equipping first responders with the right tools and training.
“We want them to feel completely equipped and completely trained in order to help these individuals. These kits were thoughtfully put together by individuals with autism, with parents and our staff, who have experience in these situations,” Scott said.
Woodard, who travels across the state and country to train others, shared his personal connection to the initiative.
“I have had experiences with autistic patients including experiences having autistic family members. I’m probably a little bit more prepared to deal with this, and especially now that I’ve been teaching it. So yes, I have had these experiences, and allowing those on the spectrum to have what they need to deal with the situation is by far the best thing we can do,” he said.
Local partnerships, such as one with Bob Moore Subaru, have made these resources possible.
“It’s been a great partnership, a great opportunity, and it’s always nice to see that we’re able to give back. Customers help by choosing a charity when purchasing a vehicle. It’s going to people that need it and going back to our hometown charities,” Dylan West from Bob Moore Subaru said.
The kits include items such as fidget spinners, headphones and communication booklets to help autistic individuals effectively communicate during crises.
Woodard noted that the training is already making a difference.
“I get emails and text messages quite often from people saying, ‘Hey, I took your class, and because of that, we were able to deal with this situation.’ Or, I’ve had people call me in the middle of an emergency and say, ‘Hey, we have this going on. What should we do? How should we deal with this?’ It’s grown into a mobile integrated health division where we’re getting resources for people with children and their family members,” he said.
With these new resources set to be implemented soon, Oklahoma City firefighters will be even more prepared to assist autistic individuals during emergencies.
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