London fire stations are now equipped to better support individuals with autism and sensory sensitivities during emergency situations. “This one touches my heart near and dear. To be able to make a difference and impact people that are having a bad moment, it’s great,” said Jamie Kovacs, executive director of the London Fire Marshal’s Public Safety Council. Kovacs was on hand at the London Fire Department headquarters Wednesday to explain how first responder sensory support kits work. The London Fire Department has received 12 of these kits, which contain practical tools to reduce stress and improve communication. They were provided by North City Insurance Brokers, which donated 250 kits to fire departments across Ontario. The kits include items such as a fidget spinner, stress ball, and noise cancelling earmuffs. “So, when we roll up on scene, there’s a lot of panic, a lot of stress. I can open this kit up, and each kit, each item talks to what it does,” said Kovacs, who is a firefighter himself in Central Elgin. “So, I know the earmuffs will help reduce loud background noise. I can put that on, the trucks are running, the sirens are going, etcetera. The other side just kind of explains very briefly and very quickly about what it is to be autistic.” “We meet people on the worst day of their lives,” added Randy Evans, secretary for the London Professional Firefighters Association. “It’s either a car accident, medical distress, emergency, fire. They’re not natural occurrences. They meet firefighters trying to do the best they can. And these kits will now give our guys, our crews, our men and women of the fire service that extra little bit, like that tool, that little something small that might make a difference,” said Evans. The kits were designed by the Fire Marshal’s Public Safety Council and Autism Canada.
