Vaughan firefighter in awe of student with autism whom he mentors
YorkRegion.com
Nov. 11, 2016
Jeremy Grimaldi
Firefighter Mario Meffe has seen few things more amazing than Grade 8 student Giovanni repeat reams of policy and procedures he's just read, from memory, verbatim.
“He's got a photographic memory,” the 20-year veteran of Vaughan fire said on a Friday afternoon trip to Kleinburg's Pierre Burton Public School. “He's routine orientated, so he loves reading about policy. That's how he learns.”
It was in 2015 the father of three, also from Vaughan, first met Giovanni, who has an autism spectrum disorder, in the school's special education class.
“At first he didn't want to engage. It took a while to warm up to us,” Meffe said as he stood beside this year's class as they frolicked inside the big red fire truck parked outside the school. “He didn't want to come in the truck. He didn't like the change, but after two or three visits, we developed a relationship together.”
Meffe and his crew have been volunteering at Vaughan schools for years now, visiting young people so they become comfortable with firefighters in case they should ever meet them during an emergency.
Pierre Burton school has a special place in Meffe's heart not only because his daughter attends the school, but also because the school gave him the opportunity to interact with autistic children on a regular basis.
“These kids are very engaged in their own unique way, they all have special skills, you just have to figure out what that is,” Meffe added. “For us it's just a portion of our day, a little bit of our time, but for these kids, this stuff is a huge deal.”
By the final visit with Giovanni, Meffe said he was not only sitting in the truck with his own firefighter hat on, but also spraying the fireman's hose.
Meffe said he plans to keep doing the visits for years to come insisting that firefighters are meant to help people in their own community, whether that be rescuing them from burning buildings or engaging with some of their most special citizens.
