NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. — What looks like an ordinary blue backpack is giving first responders in North Palm Beach a new way to connect with people with autism during an emergency.
North Palm Beach Fire Rescue has equipped its fire trucks with Ben's Blue Bags, backpacks filled with sensory and communication tools designed to help first responders interact with people experiencing sensory overstimulation.
WATCH REPORT BELOW: North Palm Beach firefighters add sensory bags for autism calls
The bags can include items such as fidget toys, noise-canceling headphones, dry-erase boards, and communication tools that can help someone express what they need or how they are feeling.
"Fidget toys, fidget spinners, Rubik's Cubes," firefighter Noah Denker said while showing WPTV reporter Christy Waite what is inside one of the bags. "The special thing about these bags is they have communication devices. There's a blank white board they can write on, there's a keyboard so they can type it out, and a how are you feeling chart."
For Denker, bringing the bags to North Palm Beach started with a connection close to home. His wife is a fifth-grade teacher who works with children with autism. Seeing how she uses sensory tools with her students inspired Denker to find a way to give first responders similar resources in the field.
"My wife is a fifth-grade teacher for kids with autism, and she gave me the idea," Denker said. "She has things in her classroom to help with overstimulation before they hit that meltdown stage."
That idea led Denker to research Ben's Blue Bags.
Ben's Blue Bags is a nonprofit that was founded in 2019 by Matt Kodicek, a captain and paramedic with the Crown Point Fire Department in Indiana and the father of a child on the autism spectrum. The idea was inspired by his son, Ben, after Kodicek saw a need for first responders to have additional tools and training to help people experiencing sensory overstimulation.
The organization has distributed more than 700 bags, and they are being used by more than 3,000 first responders across seven states and Canada.
Now, some of those bags are riding along on North Palm Beach fire trucks, giving crews immediate access to sensory and communication tools when they respond to a call. The department says North Palm Beach Fire Rescue is the first department in Florida to use Ben's Blue Bags.
"We are seeing more and more kids with autism or at least on the spectrum, so we think they will have a big impact when it comes time for us to use them," North Palm Beach Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Anthony Giarrusso said.
The department is also hoping the effort eventually extends beyond fire rescue.
Denker said they are working with the North Palm Beach Police Department to get the bags into the hands of police officers, giving both agencies access to the tools when they encounter someone who may need them.
