Oconee County emergency management unveils "Noah's Box" kits for autistic children

Emergency Management Director Khalil introduced "Noah's Box," a kit the county is placing on fire trucks, patrol and rescue vehicles to help autistic and nonverbal children during emergency responses. Khalil said the kits include picture cards to aid communication, weighted stuffed toys, ear-protecting headphones and visual resources for first responders to use to keep children comfortable on scene. "We carry for nonverbal. We have things with pictures," Khalil said, describing how the kits let first responders communicate when a child cannot speak.

Khalil told the council the program was assembled through partnerships and donations, not county tax dollars, and said emergency management is training crews to use the kits. He asked residents who want to donate or learn more to contact the emergency management department through the county website and referenced a local contact, Scotty Smith, for coordination. The director noted news coverage and said the county will deploy kits as training is completed and as boxes are placed on vehicles.

Officials framed the initiative as a low-cost, practical step to reduce the trauma children can experience during high-stress emergency scenes. The council did not take a formal vote on the presentation but heard questions about outreach and donation logistics; Khalil said staff would coordinate with the sheriff's office, fire departments and rescue squads on placement and training.