Language Needs for Emergency Services
State police, local police, fire departments, and other 911 services all require bilingual personnel. According to the preliminary research report of the 2011 Rhode Island Language Summit, the Warwick Fire Department reported that their insufficient Spanish speaking employees has affected their ability to respond in a timely manner to emergency calls. The personnel on staff often cannot communicate sufficiently with limited English proficient callers, which severely hinders their ability to administer emergency services at a normal speed.
The Rhode Island State Police, like the Warwick Police Department, have experienced similar issues when trying to respond to emergency calls. The RISP expressed an overwhelming need for employees that have at least conversational capabilities in Spanish. "According to the RISP, the ability to communicate effectively in many situations may often be a matter of life and death, especially where routine traffic stops, narcotics, and firearms enforcement communication are concerned." - RI Language Summit.
Out of the 190 state police officers, about 35 have minimal Spanish speaking capabilities, 29 have the ability to maintain simple conversations. Of the 29, only 5 have advanced proficiency and only 1 employee has the ability to translate reading and writing between English and Spanish.
The RISP currently use a fee-based translation system call Language Line that assists limited English proficient callers, translating their call into English for the police. This system, however, hinders the ability of the of the officers to respond in at an appropriate speed.
The Rhode Island State Police, like the Warwick Police Department, have experienced similar issues when trying to respond to emergency calls. The RISP expressed an overwhelming need for employees that have at least conversational capabilities in Spanish. "According to the RISP, the ability to communicate effectively in many situations may often be a matter of life and death, especially where routine traffic stops, narcotics, and firearms enforcement communication are concerned." - RI Language Summit.
Out of the 190 state police officers, about 35 have minimal Spanish speaking capabilities, 29 have the ability to maintain simple conversations. Of the 29, only 5 have advanced proficiency and only 1 employee has the ability to translate reading and writing between English and Spanish.
The RISP currently use a fee-based translation system call Language Line that assists limited English proficient callers, translating their call into English for the police. This system, however, hinders the ability of the of the officers to respond in at an appropriate speed.