Lower Providence police debut special-needs meet-and-greet

LOWER PROVIDENCE >> It’s a known fact that the appearance of firefighters, decked out in their full firefighting gear, are a cause of fear and anxiety for autistic children.

Matthew Kuhnert, sergeant and community relations officer for the Lower Providence Police Department, acknowledges as much.

“We can look intimidating and scary at times,” he said, “particularly a firefighter who, with breathing mask and tank, can look like a ‘monster’ to an autistic child. The mask shields the face and distorts the way they talk.”

To lessen those fears and, at the same time, address the challenges faced by emergency responders, the Police Department, in cooperation with the Lower Providence Township Volunteer Fire Company and Lower Providence Emergency Medical Service, recently held its first special-needs meet-and-greet inside the engine room of the fire company at Ridge Pike in Eagleville.

Fifteen special needs individuals, ranging in age from four to 23, along with their parents and guardians, were on hand for the event.

The meet-and-greet, said Kuhnert, serves a dual purpose ? up close and personal exposure to firefighters and other uniformed emergency helps alleviate the fears of special needs individuals and, he added, “it’s equally important for emergency responders to attend this type of event so they are better able to recognize the symptoms and behavior of special needs individuals and know how to handle them in case of emergency.”

One of the events at the meet-and-greet was the simple act of a volunteer firefighter first appearing in ordinary street clothes and then putting on, and taking off, his firefighting gear ? a demonstration intended to show the visitors that emergency responders, in or out of uniform, are just like everyone else.

Inside the engine room were a police car, fire truck and ambulance, all with open compartments holding equipment and tools. The special-needs guests were invited to go inside the vehicles and examine the equipment and tools, another technique that the hosts employed to alleviate the anxieties of their visitors.

Kuhnert noted that the attendees particularly enjoyed sitting on the stretcher inside the ambulance, examining the compartments filled with medical supplies, the heart monitor and the automatic external defibrillator.