Cullman Emergency Medical Services has a better tool to help children with autism spectrum disorder after receiving a donation of Carter Kits Monday afternoon.

The Carter Kits, named after five-year-old Carter Severs of Frankenmuth, Michigan, each contain noise-canceling headphones, a weighted blanket, sensory toys and fidget devices that are all meant to help first responders comfort an autistic child who has been part of an emergency situation.

Cullman is the first city outside of Michigan to receive Carter Kits, and Carter and his father traveled from Michigan with a few friends to bring the kits in person.

Carter’s father, Justin Severs, said he and his friends Brandon Hausbeck, a firefighter, and Andrew Keller, a local realtor, first came up with the idea in a text message, and Keller donated enough money to provide the first 10 kits to several fire departments and police departments in Michigan. 

That first donation was made in December, and since then, many other emergency responders from around the nation have reached out for kits of their own, along with many other people who are calling to show their support for the Carter Kits, he said. 

“It’s crazy to see the people reaching out to us,” he said. 

Severs, a police detective, said he has seen some of the difficulties that autistic or special needs children can have when they are involved in an emergency and have to deal with police or emergency services, and the kits are not limited to just those situations.

He said any child may be having a hard time after a car accident or another emergency, and the items from the kits can be used to comfort them as well.

“It’s going to expand to a lot more than just autism,” he said. 

Cullman EMS Billing Specialist Cheryl Lollar said she first learned about the Carter Kits when she read an article online, and she thought they would make a good addition to the ambulances of Cullman EMS. 

After reaching out to members of the community for donations, local State Farm agent Tonya Wilson paid for Carter Kits to be carried in each ambulance, she said. 

Lollar said she has seen that there are patients in the community who are autistic or have sensory issues, so she wanted to help make sure that they would be as comfortable as possible in the event that they had to ride in an ambulance or interact with paramedics.

“Anything that can help them to make it a better experience, that’s what it’s all about,” she said. 

Cullman EMS Director James Curtis said he was happy to see Carter and his family and friends bring the kits to Cullman, and said the kits will allow the city’s paramedics to better help some of the underserved members of the community.

“Spectrum disorders or sensory disorders can be very challenging for them in an environment where you have law enforcement, fire and EMS, and they get into kind of an overload situation,” he said. “So anything that we can do to help keep them calm so we can take care of them better or better address the situation, it’s just going to be a win for everybody,” he said. 

Curtis said Cullman EMS is privileged to be leading the state in having Carter Kits, that will hopefully inspire other agencies around Alabama to make sure they have the proper means to take care of members of the community who are autistic or have sensory disorders.

“This is a good opportunity for things to progress here and hopefully for the rest of the state to be able to do something like this,” he said.