WHAT ARE IN THE KITS?
Each kit contains noise-cancelling earmuffs, sunglasses, a stress ball, a fidget spinner, a bubble pop fidget, a plush firefighter bear and a notepad with a pen.
Jamie Kovacs, executive director of the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council, says the purpose of the kit is to provide sensory and communication support for autistic individuals during emergencies.
“Each item in these kits is there for a reason. I know it just looks like a collection of toys, but it’s not,” Kovacs said.
Kovacs says he spent a year and a half co-designing the support kits with Autism Canada executive director Jamie McCleary, making sure every item – from comfort bears to fidget tools – reflected what crews actually see on medical calls.
Each kit costs about $35, with $5 from each purchase being donated to Autism Canada. North City Insurance Brokers, located in Vaughan, donated 250 kits to fire departments across Ontario.
The London Fire Department received 12 kits as part of the donation and has plans to purchase three more, so they have enough for every station in the city.
HOW WILL THEY BE USED?
Deputy fire Chief Matt Hepditch says crews will carry the new sensory kits on their trucks to help those with autism and sensory issues during emergency calls – something they’ve never had before. He says the kits give them a practical way to support those who may not be the main patient but are still overwhelmed by the scene.
“We’ve had many times where we arrive at emergency scenes and we see that person in distress. This gives us an opportunity to support them as well,” Hepditch said.
Hepditch says the fire department is looking into further training for firefighters on helping those with autism and is working on logistics before distributing the kits to crews.
Kovacs, who’s also a firefighter in Central Elgin, had first-hand experience responding to a call that involved a child with autism. He didn’t have a kit at the time, but realized from that experience how important they could be in helping put those with autism in a relaxed state.
“Just being able to give them the bear – they can take it. They can hold it, and it gives them that sense of support,” he said.
WHY WERE THEY NEEDED?
Randy Evans, secretary of the London Professional Fire Fighters Association, said the kits give firefighters in the city a way to approach kids with autism during calls and break down the barrier of being scared.
“It helps us mitigate that emergency, and then we can make sure everybody is safe on the scene,” he said.
Evans says autism is not something firefighters are trained much on in the city, so these kits represent the start of something new.
“We’ll become better prepared in our training and how we deal with people, and this will open up the door to how we treat everybody,” he said. “It’s a great thing, a great initiative that we’re proud to be part of.”