The Hartsdale Fire Department Baby Sitting Class, now in its 51st year, will soon graduate 28 students who have learned how to handle different emergency situations using classroom and actual hands on training. The three-week program met twice a week and included 12 ½ hours of instruction spread over six classes.

The course has an emphasis on home safety and fire prevention. Students were taught CPR and defibrillation, by a firefighter paramedic, using an AED. The students learned about EDITH (Exit Drills in the Home), along with kitchen safety. Students were also instructed on how to use fire extinguishers.

The course is primarily taught by HFD firefighters. There is one lesson on Home Safety taught by a Greenburgh Police Officer, and a Registered Nurse teaches a class on babysitter preparedness, safety and care of infants. Other topics covered in the class included Stop the Bleed which deals with any type of penetration wound.

Since its inception, the program has trained 1419 babysitters. Graduation is scheduled for October 18th at 7pm, at Hartsdale Fire Station 2 on West Hartsdale Avenue. Photos by Alan Zale