Commission honors volunteers who taught Spanish to San Francisco first responders
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Summary
The Fire Commission presented certificates Oct. 23 to volunteer language instructors and the San Francisco Waldorf School for providing classroom space; volunteers said the program helps first responders reach non-English-speaking residents, citing that about 13% of city households are non-English-speaking.
The San Francisco Fire Commission presented Certificates of Appreciation on Oct. 23 to volunteer language instructors, including Dino Madaro Rosso, and to San Francisco Waldorf School for providing classroom space used to teach Spanish to San Francisco Fire Department members.
A volunteer instructor described the program's partners and logistics, saying classes were held over the summer at the Waldorf School and that Ingleside Police Station provided weekly space. The volunteer said the classes help first responders move beyond memorized phrases to "have meaningful conversations" and improve how emergency personnel are perceived by Spanish-speaking residents. "13% of households in San Francisco are non English speaking," the volunteer said, and "21% of those are Spanish only." The program relies on volunteer time from firefighters, police and emergency responders and on donated classroom space.
Commissioners praised the collaboration. Commissioner Ken Cleveland called the work "critically important," thanked Lieutenant Baxter for outreach work, and encouraged continued expansion of multilingual training. Chief Janine Nicholson and other commissioners highlighted partnerships with police and community organizations that enabled the classes.
The presentation concluded with brief remarks from the Waldorf representative and the commission's expression of appreciation for volunteers who contributed time to strengthen community relations.
