By Jim Tuttle
The Public Opinion
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — In an emergency, being able to clearly communicate with those who need help can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
For Chambersburg firefighters and police, that often means being able to speak Spanish.
To better meet that need, Chambersburg Borough Council approved two ordinances Monday that put bilingualism stipulations into the police and fire department hiring policies.
The new ordinance allows for the hiring of as many as four bilingual police officers without increasing the size of the force from 34, including the chief.
Similarly, the fire department is now allowed to hire up to three bilingual firefighters, without increasing from the current maximum of 24 paid members.
“There’s always a need for that, as the demographics of Chambersburg change,” said Chambersburg Fire Chief Bill FitzGerald.
“You can run into the need at any time at an emergency scene. It certainly would help us (to have more bilingual firefighters), because otherwise we need to get an interpreter.”
Chambersburg Mayor Pete Lagiovane estimates that the Hispanic population in Chambersburg and the surrounding townships has doubled in the past 10 years.
“Not having someone at an emergency scene who can speak Spanish can cost lives,” he said.
Officer Ana Carey patrols the streets of Chambersburg several days a week. She is currently the only fluent bilingual person in the department, where she has worked for more than five years.
In addition to translating orally and on paper on a daily basis for the police department, Carey is also called on to translate for the Chambersburg Fire Department.
While she does most of her work during the day, sometimes Carey gets called at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning to help by translating at an emergency scene.
“I don’t mind. I love my job,” she said.
A native of Puerto Rico, Carey came to the United States 21 years ago and trained at the Police Academy in Philadelphia. Fluent in Spanish and English, she learned the majority of her English skills after she moved.
“I have two first languages now,” she said.
In emergency situations, she needs to be able to find answers to questions all police officers and firefighters ask, but she has to be able to do it quickly and in Spanish.
Finding out whether a suspect is armed, how many people are in a burning building and something as simple as a person’s name can make a big difference in an emergency, she said.
“We’re trying to serve all of our citizens, and having someone able to speak their language is something that’s important,” said Chambersburg Police Chief David Arnold.
“It would be a great help to us to have more bilingual officers. We have Ana, and that’s great, but she can’t be with us every second.”
On April 28, Chambersburg Police Department will conduct a testing session for candidates wishing to become borough police officers. Those who speak both English and Spanish can choose to take a language proficiency test as well, Arnold said.
Candidates who do well on written and physical tests will be placed on a list. Those who qualify in those two standard categories and on the bilingual test will be placed on a second list.
The fluency test will be “very rigorous,” Lagiovane said.
The upcoming round of testing, with mention of the desire for bilingual officers, was recently advertised in the New York Post, Arnold said. He added that the publication has more than 300,000 Latino readers.
More than 80 people have expressed interest in a position with the department, and about 13 of those have expressed interest in attaining the bilingual qualification.
Carey said her husband, who speaks a fair amount of Spanish, and her 21-year-old daughter, who is fluent bilingual, will also be among the candidates taking the test later this month.
While the department is not currently hiring, “one or two” officers are now eligible for retirement, Arnold said. When those vacancies open up, “we’re going to take a look at both those lists and see what we have.”
FitzGerald said his department is currently in an “off year” for hiring as well. There are currently 21 paid firefighters on his staff. No one on staff at the fire department is bilingual, he said.
Members of both agencies have taken classes in basic Spanish for emergency situations, but Arnold and FitzGerald said the training is a poor substitute for fluent bilingual members.
“The problem is, if you don’t practice and use it on a regular basis, it’s not as good,” Arnold said.
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