The Latino population in Polk County has grown by three percent since 2010, according to the United States census.  The populations now accounts for a fifth of the total population. That leaves public services such as Polk County Fire Rescue working hard to adapt to the changing population.

  • Latino population in Polk County has increased by 3 percent
  • Residents say there is a need for more Spanish-speaking firefighters and paramedics

In the northeastern part of the county, shoppers at “El Zocalo Supermarket,” said there’s definitely a need for more Spanish-speaking firefighters and paramedics.

Fabiola Gonzalez recounted four occasions in the past two years where she called 911, and firefighters and paramedics arrived who didn’t speak Spanish.

“I have a child with special needs who is autistic. It’s a very unpleasant experience in an emergency like that and they arrive to your house and they don’t understand you because they don’t know Spanish,” explained Gonzalez.

She said her son was having seizures. Realizing the paramedics didn’t understand her, she got help from her 14 year old daughter.  She said her son recovered from each incident but she does wish the county would hire more Spanish speaking first responders.

It’s a scenario that Polk County Fire Rescue firefighter Chris Vega encounters often. He’s one of only 41 firefighters and paramedics employed by the county who speaks Spanish. He said his coworkers depend on his ability to speak Spanish on half of their calls.

"For them, it can be frustrating if I'm doing something else because they can't communicate with them, “said Vega.  “I guess their treatment gets delayed if translation gets lost or something.”

His coworker, Robert Correll, agreed.

"You feel like you're at a handicap. You definitely feel the handicap at times," said Correll, an engineer.

But there is help. When the Spanish speaking paramedics and firefighters aren't around, the others have access to translation booklets to help them communicate with patients.

“They're good but they're limited," started Correll. "They give us a good—pretty much anyone that speaks English can have a good baseline but it's not anywhere near as good as having someone speak Spanish be able to speak directly to the patient."

It’s the main reason Polk County Fire Rescue has a “Proactive Diversity Recruitment and Training Program.” It offers free training and a paycheck to qualified applicants. There are several minimum eligibility qualifications, including applicants must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or equivalent, pass a criminal background check, and be economically disadvantaged by HUD guidelines.

The county also offers conversational Spanish classes to its employees.