HUNTINGTON – Hilltown Community First Responders and the Start Em Early Foundation are teaming up to host a sensory friendly community Touch a Truck event on Aug. 1 from 12 to 3 p.m. at Littleville Elementary School, with set up beginning at 11 a.m.

First responders including fire, police and EMTs from Huntington, Montgomery, Russell, Blandford, Chester and Becket will bring trucks, cruisers or apparatuses for children to see and explore, but will not run sirens or lights in order to be sensory-sensitive for children who need a lower visual or auditory experience.  “It will be more hands-on,” said EMS and SAFE Education Coordinator Erik Davidson.

The Start Em Early Foundation, started by Jo-Ann and Erik Davidson to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder and to help educate first responders, will have a table at the event, where Jo-Ann will host a short training at 11 a.m. for the first responders during setup. She will also have Awareness Alliance forms at the table to fill out with families and pre-alert forms for emergency services going to their homes. 

Also at the table will be sensory sacks, along with sensory giveaways. The sensory sacks are bags filled with items that can have a calming effect on an autistic person and are donated by the Foundation to first responder departments.

Erik will have a table set up for recruitment for the Hilltown Community First Responder Explorer Post 413 for youth ages 14 to 18 who are interested in becoming first responders.   

Sponsored through the Boy Scouts of America, the Explorer Post 413 will offer live training with police, fire and emergency services throughout the hilltowns.  Davidson said the main training will take place in Blandford and at Camp Moses, but they will also train at all the departments sponsoring the Explorer Post, which to date include Montgomery, Blandford, Russell and Huntington fire departments.