Sure, firefighters are here to put out fires, but they also help humanity in many other ways.
During a safety presentation in school, 3-year-old Kayli Templeton became a bit nervous. She was diagnosed with autism just back in September, and when the firefighters from California Wheatland Fire Authority visited her school to give the presentation, the break in routine frazzled her. She clearly seemed nervous.
Volunteer fireman Anthony Banas quickly took notice of the nervous young girl during the presentation on safety equipment and took action right away.
“We were showing the children our gear to make it less scary than it might be in a real situation, and I noticed Kayli in the corner with her teacher,” Banas told Yahoo Lifestyle. “She looked afraid.”
Banas paid special attention to the young girl and really fostered a connection with her, since he has a 20-year-old brother who is also autistic. He felt a great deal of empathy and recognized the signs right away.
“She didn’t have that usual shyness of children her age,” Banas continued.
Posted by Wheatland Fire Authority onWednesday, October 16, 2019
While the firefighters were doing a question and answer portion with the kids, Kayli, out of nowhere, went up to Banas and hugged him. This naturally shined a light on the first responder’s heart, who also serves as an emergency room technician and a Navy Reservist.
While the hug was taking place, someone in the room decided to document the sweet moment. The photo later ended up on the fire department’s Facebook page and soon enough, the heartwarming story went viral and had everyone on the Internet completely swooning.
While the photo won over the hearts of many strangers, one person who was particularly touched was Kayli’s mother, Brittany. Along with the photo, the fire department also shared a note from the grateful mother-of-two.
“…I didn’t even know she was struggling that day until I saw this picture,” the mother, who is pregnant with her third child, wrote. “There were new people in her regular environment asking kids to try this and do this which would be AWESOME to most kids — but for her it can be overwhelming.”
She continued: “This sweet man let her cuddle, and relax right there on his lap for who knows how long because he could just tell she was having a hard time… As a parent, this kind of diagnosis can leave you wondering how each day is going to be. If someone is going to show her compassion, or judgement. And yesterday, it was compassion. Anyway, it warmed my heart and I thought the community should know the story behind the photo they posted yesterday.”
Proud to have had little Kayli at our firehouse today with Firefighter Banas. Check out the interview in ABC 10!
Posted by Wheatland Fire Authority onFriday, October 18, 2019
Kayli and Banas have seen each other since that moment in the classroom. Kayli visited Banas at the fire station where Kayli got the chance to play on the fire truck and high-five her newfound hero.
They shared a photo of the moment on Facebook with the caption: “Proud to have had little Kayli at our firehouse today with Firefighter Banas.”
We’re so happy Kayli was able to find deserved comfort in an uncomfortable situation!
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