VIDEO: When it comes to emergencies, seconds matter and if there are any hurdles in communicating, it can mean life or death.
At Milwaukee Fire Station 26, near 26th and Scott, oftentimes firefighters aren’t saying, "How are you feeling?" but rather "¿cómo te sientes?"
“I would say I speak Spanish almost every shift,” Firefighter Shirley DeJesús-Ortiz said. “I don’t think there’s ever been a time where I haven’t had to use my skills.”
DeJesús-Ortiz became a firefighter three years ago. It was important for her to be the representation she didn’t see as a kid.
“I didn’t really see anybody that looked like me on the fire department,” DeJesús-Ortiz said. “I did see a lot of Hispanic men on the job but I didn’t really see a lot of Hispanic women. I wanted to be that change and let it be known that we can also do it too.”