Eleven firefighters from Stevenage have been taught sign language as part of an effort to improve communications with vulnerable groups of society.
The sign language was taught by British Sign Language tutors from North Hertfordshire College.
It will be primarily used during home fire safety checks, but officers admit that it could be useful in emergency situations also.
Hertforshire Fire and Rescue Service commander Justin Jones said, "We are always looking at different ways of engaging with vulnerable groups in our community.
"There can often be a lot of confusion during a fire so it is useful to have another form of communication available to us."
Officers learnt basic phrases and the alphabet as part of the training.
