Firefighter Mike Reo from Manchester came to check on a block of flats where an alarm had gone off. He saw a boy standing in the doorway.
The fireman noticed the boy reading his lips as he watched the firemen at work. Mike then addressed the child in sign language. “Hi, how are you?” The boy smiled. “I said: “My name is Mike. What’s yours? He replied: ‘My name is Tegan’ and I said: “Nice to meet you,” the fireman recalled.
Mike’s parents are deaf, so he learned sign language as a child.
The fireman taught the boy another sign language word: “fireman”, tapping the back of his hand on his forehead. Before he left, Mike presented Tegan with a fireman’s helmet. The boy was delighted to see him.
Tegan’s mum shot a video, which went viral on social media. She hopes the video will inspire people to reach out to children who are different.
