Media coverage, Part deux:

A new article in today's Reporter out of Lansdale:
http://www.thereporteronline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13635922&BRD=2275&PAG=461&dept_id=466404&rfi=6

Reprinted without permission (am working on it but I don't know how long the content is active on the website)

Community service

DANIEL J. SERNOVITZ, Staff Writer12/28/2004

MONTGOMERY TWP. – Trust is a two-way street‚ and Neil McDevitt has both earned and extended it to his fellow colleagues at the Fire Department of Montgomery Township.
“I trust these guys‚” he said. “It’s a measure of the confidence that I have in myself and the confidence that they have in me.”

He shared the feeling as he exited the smoke-filled former Imperial Restaurant at the Five Point Plaza earlier this month.

During a search-and-rescue training exercise‚ he was paired up with battalion Chief Scott Redilla as they felt their way along the walls of the building‚ moving by touch and teamwork through the building.

Re-emerging into the dark‚ cold night outside the former restaurant‚ Redilla expressed his confidence in his partner.

“He does a great job‚” Redilla said. “He’s got a lot of common sense‚ and that’s what matters.”
It has been a long road‚ but these days McDevitt relishes the close-knit relationship he now enjoys with the FDMT.

In August of 2003 his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter became a reality as he was accepted as a probationary member into the Fire Department of Montgomery Township.
The 31-year-old deaf firefighter went on to earn his certification and become an unconditional member of the FDMT‚ earning the respect and admiration of many who watched his progression.

“It was a new experience‚ I’d never had that challenge put before me. I thought: ‘How am I going to make this work?’” said John Johnson‚ his instructor at the Bucks County Public Safety Training Center where McDevitt earned his certification. “I knew‚ as soon as I met him‚ that the challenge wasn’t going to be as daunting as I had anticipated.”

As a young child McDevitt wanted to become a firefighter‚ a desire he suppressed because he was deaf.

Then‚ in July of 2003‚ he brought his son by the FDMT’s Stump Road station to show him around. After talking with Chief Dave Vasconez and others‚ he decided to volunteer with the company.

“It was always in the back of my head‚ and it was something that I knew I’d always regret if I didn’t try‚” he said.

He enrolled in the Bucks County training academy in January‚ taking classes on the weekends with about 25 other students. Particularly in smoke-filled buildings‚ Johnson said‚ firefighters are forced to rely on their other senses‚ specifically those of hearing and touch.
Johnson said he was worried about how McDevitt would do and how others in the class would react to him.

“There are some firefighters out there who are very opinionated‚ and that’s something you have to at least keep in mind‚” he said.

Nancy Bloch‚ chief executive officer of the National Association of the Deaf‚ said she knows of many cases in which the deaf have been discriminated against‚ most frequently caused by a lack of awareness about the impairment.

In 1993‚ she said in an e-mail interview‚ two deaf individuals filed suit in Prince George’s County‚ Md.‚ alleging the county refused to accept their applications because they were deaf.
In an agreement brokered between the county and the U.S. Department of Justice‚ the county agreed not to discriminate in the future on the basis of disability.

“Lack of information on reasonable accommodations is frequently the basis of discrimination‚” she said. “The NAD believes that with advancing technologies‚ deaf and hard of hearing individuals are fully capable of being firefighters.”

Johnson said McDevitt’s abilities helped him and his class overlook his impairment. In fact‚ McDevitt was selected as the most outstanding student in his class.

“He’s very disciplined‚ he’s very aggressive‚ he’s very much a go-getter‚” Johnson said. “In every regard‚ in every aspect‚ he did stand out. He just brought a whole other dimension‚ a whole other level to the program.”

After completing the four-month course in May‚ McDevitt’s probationary status was dropped in August and‚ since then he has participated in regular training sessions and headed out to emergency situations with the FDMT as a full-fledged member.

“It was a big relief‚ obviously‚ since I invested all those weekends‚ all that time. It was more relief than excitement‚” he said. “The most interesting thing that happened during that class was my confidence level went up.”

In contrast to his day job at Prudential‚ McDevitt said at the firehouse he is given the chance every day to provide his abilities.

“Sometimes I think a day at work is harder than a day here‚” he said. “Here‚ I get the chance to show what I can do‚ not just talk about it.”

While he anticipated some initial distrust‚ McDevitt said he has been openly received into the FDMT.

“That’s really been the things that surprised me the most; I had anticipated a colder response‚ but that never happened‚” he said. “A lot of times when you hear people say‚ ‘Oh‚ he’s my brother‚’ you kind of take it with a grain of salt. Here it is really true. It may be a cliché‚ but you do treat each other like family.”

Bloch said in light of the challenges facing deaf individuals‚ McDevitt’s story is that much more remarkable.

“We at the NAD applaud Neil McDevitt and others in showing that‚ with appropriate accommodations‚ deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals can work in a wide range of careers including the field of firefighting‚” she said. McDevitt‚ though‚ does not consider himself a role model‚ and‚ in fact‚ shies away from the notion.

“I’m not an example‚ I’m not a role model‚” he said. “There are deaf people out there who have had to overcome enormous challenges‚ discrimination and outright rejection. They are really the role models.”

Vasconez said since the beginning the other members have been accepting of McDevitt‚ and he has done nothing but support that assessment. “He’s doing great‚ he’s fitting right in‚” he said.

©Reporter online.com 2004