Over 100 first responders attend autism awareness training

MAHANOY CITY – Over 100 first responders from across Schuylkill County were in Mahanoy City Monday night, learning how to better be aware, prepare and assist community members with autism.

The training was held at the Mahanoy City West End firehouse and drew 115 attendees from 34 organizations, organizers told the Sentinel. Attendees were members of fire companies, ambulance services, and police departments, coming from Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, Girardville, Nuremberg, Ringtown, Sheppton, Tremont, Tamaqua, Orwigsburg, and more.

Orwigsburg Fire Department Capt. Zach Kirsch and Capt. Frank McDonough, along with representatives from Gym-Jam Therapeutics in Pottsville, conducted the training.

Kirsch, an 18-year member of the fire service, has a son who was diagnosed with autism, inspiring him to launch the training program.

Kirsch and McDonough discussed the behavioral traits first responders may not be familiar with and how to respond to best assist the individual.

“You have to be able to dial it back for a second,” McDonough said of the intensity in approaching rescue victims, noting it may invoke an opposite reaction. “If there’s anything you take from this evening, it’s that.”

Kirsch, McDonough, and audience members all shared experiences and various examples of how to approach situations or, in some cases, how not to.

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home. She is a 12-time Keystone Media Award winner, a PAB Excellence in Broadcasting award winner, and has been nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy award.

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