A team of deaf schoolchildren from two schools Newcastle have taught local firefighters “lifesaving” sign language skills to help them communicate with deaf or hearing impaired people in emergency situations.
Media on Tyneside reported that the pupils produced an interactive video and a fact sheet highlighting 20 vital words and phrases for firefighters to learn in case they ever attend a house fire where someone may be deaf.
Newcastle newspaper The Chronicle reported that the words include “where is the fire?”, “stay calm”, “stop” and “are you hurt?”.
The youngsters – aged between four and 12 – were inspired by a “people who help us” topic which they have been studying, with each school operating a Hearing Impairment Additionally Resourced Provision (HIARP) unit.
The media reported that firefighters from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service’s Red Watch, based at Newcastle Central Community Fire Station, took part in a video recording workshop where they were taught the various sign language phrases.
Watch Manager, Steven Walker said it had been a wonderful experience and would ultimately save lives.
He added: “It’s also very rewarding to have the knowledge that young people from our local community hold the fire service in such high regard to produce this empathetic project to help our frontline responding team.
“Sign language is an important means of communication and it’s priceless for our crews to have this informative insight that will benefit our day-to-day operations.”
Kirsten Binns, teacher of deaf children at Broadwood Primary School HIARP, said: “We were inspired by a visit from the fire service as part of our ‘people who help us’ topic. During their visit the firefighters asked some questions about basic signs for communication.
“On the back of this we thought that making a practical video would be a good way for children from our primary and secondary additionally resourced provision – to all work together to produce this project.
“The children benefited by deepening their vocabulary and understanding of the work of firefighters in the local community, and by teaching them some basic signs. They also learnt some useful filming and editing skills that will be handy later in their creative school journey.”
