Maury County first responders learning program to better assist residents with autism
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — April is Autism Awareness Month.
Emergency officials said a program to bridge gaps between first responders and people with autism is working well. A Maury County 911 dispatch center became one of the first in the country to use the life-saving database.
Fabian Oden, a life-long first responder, developed the Rapid Guardian database in Maury County in 2022. The county-wide database helps first responders when they arrive at a home by giving them important information about the person with autism who lives there. This includes any sensitivities to sounds, light, or other needs.
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“I don’t understand how it is to have a child with autism, but a lot of families do,” said Oden. “As long as it’s helping them out at night knowing that their child elopes, they can still sleep and there’s a plan in place; it’s the best feeling that I could ever imagine.”
More than 40 people and their information have been put into the database so far. Maury County 911 Dispatch officials said the program is helping save lives.
“Any time that you can save a few seconds in the 911 world, seconds matter, so we’re always looking to save a few seconds,” said Mark Gandee, the director for Maury County 911.
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In the last two years, Rapid Guardians’ features have expanded, including the option for first responders to pull up a map that will automatically show where individuals with autism, who’ve submitted their info and other features like reverse search, live.
“Now the dispatchers have the opportunity to do a reverse search. For example, if an individual is out on the road and they have eloped from their home, the 911 caller can give the dispatcher the demographics of that individual and the dispatcher can go into the database now and run a reverse search just based off the demographics,” said Oden.
The program is currently only available in Maury County, but Oden has drafted a bill to get it started in every county throughout the state. Oden told News 2 he just needs the support and the funding.
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“This is one of those things that its bipartisan; it doesn’t matter if you sit on the left or the right; this is a growing issue in Tennessee; it has to be solved and if we keep neglecting it, it’s going to keep being a problem,” said Oden.
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