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43rd Annual CFD Babysitters Banquet |
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43rd Annual CFD Babysitters Banquet |
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If you live in or did live in Caledonia as a teenager and you are a childcare provider, the chances are quite good that you’ve completed the Caledonia Fire Department’s Babysitters Course. Over 800 students have graduated from the training course in its 43 year history. A banquet to honor the students was held on June 4, 2008 at J.W. Jones Hall. Twelve teens completed the six-week course that covers basic childcare, personal safety, first aid, fire prevention and response skills. It is the longest standing childcare training program within Livingston County and is highly regarded for its comprehensive and up to date instruction of the issues facing childcare providers today. Livingston County Sheriff John York once called it "one of the best programs I’ve ever seen in the nation." Larry Heins and Patty Lysko, both volunteers for CFD and fire prevention instructors, lead the program, which includes special presentations by fire and police agencies and professional paramedics. The course has earned a reputation with fire companies well beyond the boundaries of Livingston County, as well. Heins said two fire companies from the Long Island area read about the course in a firefighter's newsletter and inquired about the content and how they could begin a similar training course. "What we teach is how to handle yourself, to think, to remain calm and that your first priority is to the children you are caring for," Heins explained. Two assignments culminate the course, an essay contest with the theme of responsible childcare and a poster contest designing an escape route from a burning building. Class of 2008 winners:
Caledonia FD started the Babysitters Course in 1965 with instructors Frank "Duke" Tiberio, Police Chief Bernard Hayward, Fire Instructor Johnson Doley, First Aid Instructors Bob Bostwick and Kirt Minister and Course Chairman Robert Robinson.
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