ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Fire Lieutenant Claudia Fernandez said she grew up in a home where Spanish was a must.
Her father is from Argentina and her mom is from Puerto Rico.
“My parents had a rule at the house where we basically spoke Spanish at the house but once we were outside, we would speak English and that would help them learn the language but that also kept us fluent as well,” Fernandez said.
Puedes mirar la entrevista con Teniente Claudia Fernandez y Ezzy Castro en español aqui
Fernandez has been with the department for 23 years and has responded to hundreds of 911 calls and explained she’s had to speak Spanish in order to help victims during some of those calls.
“Especially in an emergency, people are going to go back to what they’re most comfortable with even if they do speak English and a different language is their first language, they are always going to revert to that they are more comfortable once they realize someone understands their language and speaks their language,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez told News 6 she is the Behavioral Health coordinator, a program she said is very important for firefighters.
The program offers mental health awareness training and other resources throughout the year.
“There’s a lot of things that we are exposed to every day, and I don’t think a lot of people realize what we do. We do save cats in trees, we absolutely do that, but there’s a lot more that we see and experience that people should never experience but someone has to do it,” Fernandez explained.
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