Firefighter Brady Lewis set up a Spanish language learning Web site.

Across the United States, the sound of Spanish is becoming increasingly familiar.
 
The surge in immigration over the past few years has made Hispanics the largest minority group in the country.

And while debates about language and immigration issues may rage, more and more emergency personnel are deciding to take a proactive approach to facing the issue – by learning the Spanish language.

Brady Lewis, a 25-year-old firefighter from Anderson, Indiana, knows more than most the potential challenges emergency workers can face as a result of serving an area with a growing Hispanic population. He has also worked as a reserve police officer and emergency dispatcher.

"I noticed while I worked as a police officer and dispatcher that I was starting to encounter more and more Spanish-speaking people," he said. "I was having trouble communicating with some of them as I couldn’t speak any Spanish and they couldn't speak English, so it was frustrating for everyone."

In response, Lewis decided to try to learn Spanish.

But he soon realized there were few resources tailored for first responders; specifically, the words and phrases they would need in their fields.

"There didn’t seem to be anything out there that was really specific to police, fire or dispatch," he said. "So, I started learning the Spanish language from various books and managed to teach myself the basics. Then, from a range of sources, I tried to find things that could be applied to police, fire or dispatch."

Spanish tips Fire Hay alguien en este edificio? (AH-ee ahl-GEE-ehn EHN EH-steh eh-dee-FEE-see-oh) - Is there anyone in this building? Dónde comenzó el fuego? (DOHN-deh koh-mehn-SOH EHL FWEH-goh) - Where did the fire start? Dispatch Cuál es la dirección de tu emergencia? (KWAHL EHS LAH dee-rehks-see-OHN DEH TOO eh-mehr-HEHN-see-ah) - What is the address of your emergency? Necesitas bomberos? (neh-seh-SEE-tahs bohm-BEH-rohs) - Do you need the fire department? Police Su licencia es suspendido (SOO lee-SEHN-see-ah EHS soos-pehn-DEE-doh) - Your license is suspended. Salga con las manos arriba (SAHL-gah KOHN LAHS MAH-nohs ah-RREE-bah) - Come out with your hands up.

Now, five years on, Lewis runs a Web site, Spanish4Emergencies.com, that features a range of online tools and learning products aimed specifically at emergency personnel.

Sites and services such as his are becoming increasingly popular.

"People are starting to recognize how important it is for police officers and firefighters to learn Spanish," he said.

"It's not something that is going to go away. If anything it's going to be become even more important in future years for people to be able to communicate in Spanish. It's an issue that really needs to be addressed."

Jeff Zack, spokesman for the International Association of Fire Fighters, backed Lewis' views.

"Language training and cultural awareness for first responders is critical to a safe and effective response," Zack said.

It’s not just existing emergency workers that are taking steps to learn Spanish or a second language. Departments across the country are increasingly giving preference to bilingual applicants.

The Ohio-based Don McNea Fire School, which offers preparatory classes for would-be firefighters, recommends applicants immediately attempt to learn a second language if they don't already know one. 

With about 40 million people of Hispanic origin currently in the United States, according to figures from the US Census Bureau, Spanish is the obvious choice for many first responders.

Another Web site that offers language training to first responders is Colorado-based SpanishOnPatrol.com.

The site originally only covered law enforcement phrases, but has now been expanded to offer learning tools for personnel in corrections, dispatch, wildland, and fire/EMS departments.  

"Obviously we have had a tremendous influx of Spanish speakers in America," said co-founder Philipp Knetemann. "Our first responders have really had to grapple with responding to their needs.

"Fire and rescue workers need to be able to communicate effectively in various situations; it can make a difference to somebody’s life."

Fire departments are becoming active in promoting language courses for firefighters and are also increasingly aware of the need to have a diverse range of members.

The Austin Association of Professional Firefighters has held a series of free Spanish classes to help firefighters better communicate with the Texas capital’s ever-growing Hispanic population.

At the San Francisco Fire Department, members have the option to be placed in bilingual positions on engine and truck companies throughout the city 

"We currently have 40 members on our bilingual speaking list," said fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge. "Languages spoken are Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Tagalog and Spanish."
 
The department has also developed a spiral-bound set of flash cards that contains 29, medical-related, questions. Each card has one question which is translated into six additional languages. Each has a 'Yes' or 'No' response, also translated into the same six languages.

Additionally, all SFFD paramedics carry with them a dictionary of health-related terms, translated from English to Spanish and from Spanish to English.

Ron Morales, president of the International Association of Hispanic Firefighters, acknowledged it was becoming more and more important for firefighters to have some knowledge of Spanish.  

"We would like to see more people learning the Spanish language," he said.

"Because of the huge influx of people, including those undocumented, it is becoming crucial that firefighters can communicate with them - not necessarily fluently, but at least know some key words."