Gilbert police, fire promote safety, inclusion through S.A.F.E. Public Safety Day 

By Tom Blodgett
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Burke Harvey wants to be a firefighter when he grows up. 

If he does so, the 9-year-old will be following in the footsteps of his dear old dad, Garrett Harvey, an engineer with the Gilbert Fire & Rescue Department. 

But Garrett may not get all the credit for the career aspirations. Burke is growing up with his dad working in a department that carries a Certified Autism Center designation from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. Burke is neurodivergent. 

With greater awareness from having gone through the certification process, the town's public safety departments — Gilbert Police also is certified — have hosted Sensory Awareness Family Events, or S.A.F.E., aiming to foster stronger connections with the special needs community.  

The next one is the departments’ second annual S.A.F.E. Public Safety Day on Saturday, aiming to foster stronger connections with the special needs community. Burke Harvey and twin sister Hazel will be there. 

The free event, open to the public — not just Gilbert residents — runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the town’s Public Safety Training Facility, 6860 S. Power Road, Gilbert.  

With more than 34 vendors, hands-on activities, and interactive experiences, S.A.F.E. offers an opportunity for neurodivergent individuals and their families to engage with first responders in a comfortable and low-stimulation environment. 

A low-stimulation, high-impact event 

S.A.F.E. Public Safety Day is designed to offer a welcoming space where individuals with developmental disabilities can interact with police officers and firefighters in non-emergency settings.  

Attendees will have the chance to try on police and fire gear, sit inside emergency vehicles, take a low-speed ride on a fire truck and even participate in mock traffic stops. The latter addresses a special fear for Police Lt. Chris Timmins, who has sons ages 18 and 13 who are both neurodivergent and wondered how his older boy, Preston, would react if stopped. 

The Timmins family: from left, Parker, Chris, Autumn, Preston.

Independent Newsmedia/Tom Blodgett

“We kind of normalize the approach, normalize what happens so that when we do have contact again, we’re kind of inoculating them to a little bit of the stress they might experience during just a routine traffic stop and what it looks like,” Timmins said. 

The goal is to reduce fear and uncertainty in future encounters. By becoming familiar with the equipment and processes, individuals can develop a sense of comfort and confidence around first responders. 

A community-driven initiative 

The event’s origins stem from the personal experiences of Gilbert’s first responders. Many officers and firefighters involved have neurodivergent family members, which has fueled their passion for meaningful community engagement.  

"I’ve been here 21 years and both of my boys have grown up in this atmosphere, in this life,” Timmins said. “And to feel welcomed and connected and loved by the whole department and the whole town leadership is amazing.” 

Officer Patrick Shipp has been on the force more than 20 years and has a 13-year-old son, Drayson, on the spectrum. Since Drayson’s diagnosis, Shipp has become something of a go-to person for other officers who get a diagnosis for their child. 

“Once you start finding out other officers who have kids on the spectrum, that brings you closer,” he said. “It becomes a tight-knit family. The department itself is a tight-knit family, but also that becomes a community inside of a community. And then I think with that, it only shows the other officers the importance of the understanding that we need to be able to put that out to our population.” 

Drayson and Officer Patrick Shipp

Independent Newsmedia/Tom Blodgett

Shipp said having Drayson has taught him to have more patience, which he applied when he was an officer on patrol. He said he would get calls perhaps once a week that ended up involving a neurodivergent individual. 

He recalled coming out of a briefing at 5 a.m. and finding a boy Drayson’s size walking on his tiptoes down the middle of a street in his pajamas. He recognized behaviors from his son. 

“Being able to identify that, and here's how I'm going to approach it, versus just throwing my lights on and making this big display with my patrol car and me jumping out in all my gear,” he said. “Now I can approach it in a different manner, slow things down a little bit, and then give him or that child an opportunity to kind of slow things down as well and not get so overwhelmed that it pushes the situation in one direction or the other.” 

Harvey described how the event and training have reshaped his professional interactions.  

“I believe that I am (a better firefighter) because I believe that I can connect with more people, especially in our community,” he said. “There’s a lot of neurodivergent individuals that live inside of our community boundaries. And to be able to connect with them ... has been awesome.” 

The Gilbert Police and Fire departments’ autism awareness and sensitivity training in recent years has resulted in a noticeable culture shift, public safety workers said. 

“Not that we had bad experiences prior to our autism awareness training, but since that training, I've recognized in my coworkers a difference in how they're able to connect with and treat patients that might be neurodivergent,” Harvey said. “I’ve seen a great benefit to the town and to the people that I work with as well.” 

The departments have moved beyond certification checkboxes and instead embraced a deeper commitment to supporting both the public and their own employees. 

More than just a day of fun 

While the event is designed to be engaging and interactive, it also offers practical resources for families.  

Various organizations will provide information on therapies, services and support networks. As one officer described it, the goal is to create a “one-stop shop” where families can discover the services they need. 

Additionally, fire crews will offer experiences like trying on turnout gear and learning about medical equipment.  

Since individuals on the spectrum may have different pain tolerances or sensory sensitivities, the event provides opportunities to desensitize them to emergency procedures. 

Fire personnel will demonstrate tools like blood pressure cuffs to help neurodivergent individuals become familiar with the sensations they may encounter during a real emergency. 

Twins Hazel and Burke Harvey with Fire Engineer Garrett Harvey

Independent Newsmedia/Tom Blodgett

“If the blood pressure cuff is going to make it worse, we don’t want to make the situation worse,” Harvey said. “So, we’ll use those resources to be able to get them the best service that they need.” 

Not just for Gilbert residents 

The departments emphasize that S.A.F.E. Public Safety Day is open to everyone, not just those living in Gilbert.  

“There’s been feedback last year where people were like, ‘I wish I could sell my house’ wherever they lived,’” Timmins said. This is not just a Gilbert-only event. You could be a resident anywhere in the state and come, and they actually want to sell and live in Gilbert because they know this is the type of service that they're getting and the type of response that they're getting. They're not just a number, they're valued.” 

Last year’s event drew about 400 attendees, but organizers hope to attract between 500 and 1,500 people this year.  

With more vendors, interactive experiences, and improved scheduling — participants are encouraged to register in 15-minute increments to manage crowd size and reduce sensory overload — the departments aim to create an even more effective and welcoming experience. 

“When you first get that diagnosis, you get this piece of paper handed to you, and you're kind of just sent on your way and you don't know what's next,” Timmins’ wife, Autumn, said. “You don't know resources. You don't have that sense of what to do. And so having something like this and having a safe place to land means everything to a family. So it's so important to have this.” 

Those who wish to register for the event can do so here. 

Tom Blodgett
Senior News Editor | Gilbert

tblodgett@iniusa.org

Meet Tom
Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.

Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.

Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism. 

Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.  

Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).