Monroe firefighters take Spanish classes

Responding to an emergency can be tough when you can’t understand the person who’s injured or in peril.

But in Monroe, Wash., firefighters are learning something that will help them respond to the city’s growing Hispanic population—Spanish.

The Department of Homeland Security is funding the project, which will take one year to complete, and which will help firefighters communicate with the Spanish-speaking population during fire and first aid responses.

Specifically, Monroe firefighters are learning words and phrases related to injuries and to their profession, and anything else that might come up in an emergency.

KING5 coverage: Firefighters learning Spanish to bridge language gap

With all the budget cuts to public services lately—and with more possibly on the way—it’s nice to see a fire department taking steps to serve their community so exceptionally!