On a sunny summer day outside of Skyline Elementary, local first responders and students with disabilities got to know each other as students climbed onto Tacoma Police Department motorcycles, scooted into a Tacoma Fire Department fire engine and took turns squirting a firehose across the parking lot.  

As one boy was lifted onto a police motorcycle, he was all smiles, pushing every console button in his reach.  

“You’re going to have to double check your settings,” his teacher noted with a smile to the nearby police officer. 

A few feet away, a teacher used sign language to help a boy and another officer share their names and get down to the business of investigating another motorcycle.  

Across the parking lot, a firefighter aimed a hose at an orange cone and readied a long line of kids for their assignment. 

“Alright friends. We’re in firefighter training now!”  

After everyone got their turn at the hose, firefighters dressed in full gear explained why they sometimes need to wear a mask and air tank, and tried to help students understand that while that the equipment and uniform can look scary, it actually means they’re trying to help people get to safety. 

Scenes like that played out for the better part of the morning, as students lined up for their chance to spray a firehose, test safety equipment and climb into a firetruck.  

The event, cleverly built around fun and new experiences, was designed as a step toward helping first responders better understand community members with disabilities like autism, said Laytisha Hays, event organizer and special education teacher at Reed Elementary.  

She also wanted to help students see firsthand that first responders are safe adults. 

“I thought it would be a good first step to interacting with first responders,” she said. “We need to remove the barriers, and first responders need to know how to work with students with disabilities. They are the most likely to have their dignity not taken into consideration because they might not comply with directions or even speak.” 

By creating opportunities for interactions like this, Hays’ hope is that first responders create a check list in their mind that they refer to in emergencies.  

“One question on the list would be, are they responding like you expect them? Autistic people might literally not be able to respond to commands or questions,” she said. “They freeze, not making eye contact or walking away and avoiding.” 

In that case, she urges first responders to refrain from making assumptions about the person’s behavior and instead give them time to process the situation. 

For students, she hopes the exposure to first responders wearing their uniforms and using their equipment creates a baseline feeling of comfort and safety around police officers and firefighters.  

“In my class, when a safe adult gives a direction, we say ‘OK.’ I hope that these students get to know first responders are safe adults,” Hays said. “For those students who are trusting, this experience will cement that positive feeling of ‘I should go toward this first responder.’ For others, I hope these experiences can at least remind them it’s an option – to give first responders a chance.” 

Sarah LeCompte, a parent member of the Tacoma Special Education PTA, said she thought the day served as a valuable, positive experience. 

“As a kid, you only experience the big lights and loud sounds during an emergency,” she said. Her hope is that, with exposure like this, “kids won’t be as afraid during an accident and they will be able to accept help.” 

As Washington State Trooper C.E. Kearsing opened her cruiser to let kids climb in and use the public speaker inside, she reflected on what experiences like this mean to her, and how they change her approach to her work.  

“I’m learning how to communicate better and have more patience,” she said.