Firefighters hablan español in Monroe
Published 8:40 pm Monday, December 20, 2010
MONROE — The roomful of firefighters had “gracias” down pat.
When it came to saying what day, month and year it was in Spanish, they had a little more trouble.
Some played around with the phrase, “¿Como se dice?,” or “How do you say?”
“¿Como se dice, ‘Remember your rank?’” Capt. Cindy Coker joked to a crewmate.
The firefighters, paramedics and staff at Snohomish County Fire District 3 in Monroe are all learning Spanish, thanks to a grant from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The grant pays for educator Nora Wolford to teach the crew words and phrases they can use in the field.
In addition, Wolford will be handling fire prevention and other outreach programs for Monroe’s growing Hispanic community, she said.
At Monday morning’s lesson, Wolford handed each firefighter and paramedic a “Feliz Navidad” card for Christmas. Each had to call out “presente”— Spanish for “present” — to get their card. Some took an extra try or two to get it right.
Others took a stab at rolling their Rs. Everyone laughed and joked throughout the lesson.
Many scribbled new phrases and words in their notebooks and tried putting together sentences.
Don’t get frustrated with complicated translations, Wolford told them. Instead, she said, focus on key phrases and break big words down into parts that are easier to understand.
Wolford told them to practice at home, especially the numbers and counting.
“All the new words we’re using, put them in your vocabulary,” she said.
Wolford’s work will help the fire department build trust in the Hispanic community, said Capt. Michael Fitzgerald, fire marshal for the district.
The language barrier can make people apprehensive of firefighters, even when they’re there to help, he said. In the past, the department has struggled to get fire and injury prevention information out to Spanish speakers.
Wolford said she looks forward to teaching people in Monroe about CPR, smoke alarms and other safety topics. She will be doing outreach programs in English as well.
The grant pays for Wolford’s position through November 2011.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
