The Hartsdale Fire Department’s Baby Sitting Class held its annual graduation ceremony at Station 2, on Tuesday evening, October 24, 2023.

Hartsdale Fire Department Deputy Chief Frank Musorrafiti handed out certificates to the students who successfully completed the class.

The HFD Baby Sitting Class teaches students how to handle different emergency situations using classroom and actual hands-on training. There is a total of 12 ½ hours of instruction spread over six classes.

The course has an emphasis on home safety and fire prevention. During the six-week program, students are taught about kitchen safety and kitchen fires, CPR and defibrillation, EDITH (Exit Drills in the Home), and also learn how to use fire extinguishers.

Other topics covered in the class include Stop the Bleed which deals with any type of penetration wound. They also learn babysitter preparedness, safety, and the handling of infants.

The course is primarily taught by HFD firefighters but some lessons are also taught by a Greenburgh police officer, a nurse, and a paramedic.

Since its inception, the program has trained 1447 babysitters. This year, twenty-eight students successfully completed the class.

The next class will be in September 2024. Photos by Alan Zale