Fire trucks, ambulances, and police vehicles filled the Center for Enriched Living parking lot for three days straight, but not in response to an alarm. Instead, the sounds of conversation and laughter poured out of the building as local first responders participated in training exercises to recognize and safely interact with people with developmental disabilities.

CEL, founded in 1968, provides programs and services for people with developmental disabilities, their families, caregivers, and the community. This includes partnering with local fire and police departments to increase awareness of people with disabilities, evaluate a scene with an individual who shows signs of a developmental disability and then determine the best course of action to take to handle the situation.

“Any time we can learn more about the people in our community, that makes us do our job better,” said Deputy Fire Chief Ray Larson of the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Department. “Because of the training we get at CEL, we are able to use those tools and techniques to help people with disabilities, even when we respond to a residence.”

The training includes an overview of different types and characteristics of developmental disabilities, suggestions on communication strategies, de-escalation techniques, guided tours of emergency vehicles, and partnered activities between first responders and CEL members. The activities were intentionally fun and easy, like playing “parachute” in the gym or crafting fire helmets out of paper, but they had an important goal: Everyone became more comfortable interacting with each other, getting to know each other as people first, before the intensity of an emergency situation would arise.

“We want to help our first responders save lives by sharing information and experience dealing with a population who is often misunderstood and underrepresented,” said Melissa Juarez-Ehlers, Director of Programs at CEL. “Behavior is one way to communicate that something is wrong, but if first responders haven’t encountered that, they might not react in ways that are helpful. Likewise, our members with disabilities get to understand emergency workers as community helpers, and that the large, loud vehicles are tools to keep us safe and healthy. Responders and members learn to see each other as friendly neighbors.”

Deputy Chief Larson agreed, saying, “When we come to CEL now, the members and staff know who we are, and we know them. This has been a positive relationship for many years, and that’s made our job and the work of the staff much more fluid.”

Dozens of firefighters, police officers, social workers, and dispatchers attended the training sessions, representing the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Department, Riverwoods Police Department, Deerfield Police Department, and Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Department. Officers from the Riverwoods PD shared that they now carry “conversation cards” in police vehicles so they can better communicate with anyone who doesn’t verbalize their thoughts.

The partnership between organizations like CEL and local police and fire departments illustrate the care that emergency responders have for their community. Knowing that many members have sensory issues, everyone arriving in emergency vehicles made sure that sirens and lights were off and radios were turned down. Police officers fielded questions about their squad cars and firefighters explained how many of the tools on the truck help save lives. Members were excited to climb into the cars and trucks and to see what the back of an ambulance looks like – without actually being in a crisis situation.

“We are incredibly grateful that our members are part of a community where first responders want to provide the best care, response, and services to all people,” said Juarez-Ehlers. “This training session helps to keep our local officers and all people with disabilities safe.”

CEL offers this large group training to local first responders every two years, but interested fire and police departments can contact Melissa Juarez-Ehlers to schedule their own sessions. She can be reached at Melissa@CenterForEnrichedLiving.org.

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and for 55 years the Center for Enriched Living has enriched the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by maximizing their opportunities for personal success, fun & friendship, employment, and community involvement. CEL is accredited by the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL). More information is available at www.CenterForEnrichedLiving.org.