Germiston Fire Station hosts deaf awareness workshop
“As the fire departments, we need to be able to visit schools and teach them about fire safety but can not because of the communication barrier.”
The Gauteng Provincial Fire Services hosted a Deaf Awareness and Basic SA Sign Language workshop at the Germiston Fire Station on July 11.
The week-long course aimed to teach emergency responders sign language.
Tshepo Mpshe, a sign language instructor and City of Johannesburg officer, led the training.
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Sixteen participants from the Rand West City, Emfuleni, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Lesedi, Johannesburg, and Midvaal municipalities attended.
Mpshe highlighted the lack of staff in government organisations to interact with the deaf community and provide public services.
The training aimed to improve communication between deaf patients and firefighters.
“When we must care for a mute patient, it is never easy,” Mpshe remarked.
Fire departments face communication barriers when teaching fire safety in schools. The challenges extend to emergency help, where the deaf community lacks the means for immediate communication.
Responders must be able to interact with deaf patients, and hospital professionals must communicate effectively for optimal care to address this.
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Mpshe, the only fire service member in Gauteng proficient in sign language, visits Johannesburg schools to teach fire safety through the Learn Not to Burn programme, which includes basic first aid and firefighting training.
The Community Emergency Response Team programme also educates communities.
The workshop participants completed their practical training at Ekurhuleni Primary School to gain experience teaching an audience. They will return to their municipalities to impart these communication skills to others.
The course covered various topics, including word groupings, self-introduction, sign language alphabets, and deaf culture.
Mpshe, who learned sign language from a childhood friend now at Wits Language School, has translated sermons for the deaf community.
During Deaf Awareness Month, he volunteers with the Deaf Federation of SA and the South African National Deaf Association to raise awareness. Mpshe also offers self-tutorial YouTube videos through Mpshe Communications and Services.
