Kate Movius, who has been training first responders in Los Angeles through Autism Interaction Solutions for thirteen years, encourages parents to start reaching out to local fire and police departments to make sure first responders are aware of their family’s needs in case there’s an emergency. She says that families can consider visiting their fire or police station and meeting the officers in person. Not only can this help your child connect with first responders, recognize their uniform, and learn about their roles as helpers, but it gives first responders the opportunity to learn your child’s name and face so they can better serve them if there’s ever an emergency.
“It’s not going to be feasible for all families,” Movius says, “but I always say to families, anything is better than nothing. You can bring a photo of your child. You can bring a description of your child. The National Autism Association has very good printable resources where you can fill these things out and bring them to a local police department.”
You can also find out if your city or county has a registry so that if you call 911, dispatchers will know to notify first responders that there is an individual with disabilities in the home.
For more information, see our full article Emergency Preparedness at Home: Is Your Family Ready for an Emergency?
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