ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Fire Protection Association, as part of its 127th annual conference being held at the Orange County Convention Center this week, donated 500 “comfort bears” to the Orange and Seminole County fire departments Tuesday.
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Conference attendees stuffed the bears themselves on the convention center floor on Monday.
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“We very quickly got to 500 teddy bears,” NFPA Vice President of Advocacy and Outreach Lorraine Carli said. “The energy and enthusiasm from all of our attendees...fire service, public educators, fire protection engineers...They were so excited knowing that not only were they here learning about the latest trends in fire safety, but they were benefitting the community here in Orlando.”
NFPA officials delivered the plush stuffed animals, valued at $10,000, during an event Tuesday at the Orange County fire station on Central Florida Parkway with officials from both stations in attendance.
The bears are used to help comfort traumatized children during an emergency, allowing the first responders to focus on getting them to safety and providing better care.
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They can also help to soothe older adults with Alzheimer’s or dementia during times of crisis and can provide comfort well after the incident.
“It’s almost as good as providing medication in some cases,” Orange County Fire Rescue Department Acting Fire Marshal William Farhat said. “They aren’t focusing on their illness or injury. They’re actually allowed to focus on something else and forget about what’s going on with the emergency in that moment...and our people can focus on providing care.”
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According to the NFPA, the Orange and Seminole County fire departments responded to 115,000 and 50,515 emergency calls last year, respectively, and transported a combined total of 106,000 patients to local hospitals.
The NFPA is a nonprofit organization considered to be a global leader in fire and electrical safety.
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