Monmouth County 911 operators are taking the lead when it comes to autism awareness, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office.
Public safety telecommunicators from the sheriff’s office Communications Division are the first group of operators in the state who were trained on how to prepare themselves when responding to calls involving individuals with autism.
“Operators need to take a different approach when dealing with a 911 call regarding an individual with autism who is missing or hurt,” Sheriff Shaun Golden said. “They must be equipped with information on autism, so they can effectively assist the caller and prepare first responders about the emergency situation involving an individual with autism.”
According to the press release, each of the 67 public safety telecommunicators from the Monmouth County 911 Communications Center were the first to receive five hours of training from Frank Hines, an autism awareness trainer with the New Jersey Department ofHealth, and a parent of a child with autism.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, New Jersey has some of the highest rates of autism in the nation, with one in every 94 children being diagnosed as autistic.
“The increase of our autistic community has ultimately resulted in an increase of law enforcement and first responder contacts, and that begins with 911 operators who take the call. That is why it is vital they are equipped with the right information,” Hines said.
Through the training course, operators are briefed on what questions need to be asked when dealing with an emergency situation regarding an individual with autism. Those questions include if the individual is verbal or non-verbal, how he or she interacts with people, what, if any, unusual behaviors does the individual have? Has the individual wandered off before, and if so, where?
Once that information is gathered by the operators, they will pass it on to responding agencies on how best to approach the situation, as well as decide if additional first responders need to be dispatched.
“Public safety telecommunicators and the law enforcement community need to be educated about this disorder or they can be at a disadvantage when it comes to assisting individuals with autism,” Golden said.