PITTSBURGH, PA (April 6, 2021) Mayor William Peduto announced today that the City of Pittsburgh will host a free training program for childcare providers to receive state-required pediatric first aid, CPR and fire safety certifications. Biennial certifications are critical to ensuring the safety of children and staff, but can be expensive for childcare facilities who often operate with limited funding and resources. This free course helps to alleviate that cost for the city’s childcare facilities, while allowing them to maintain a high standard of safety.
“It can be very difficult and costly for childcare facilities to ensure that their staff members have access to high quality training opportunities. Our program aims to ensure that programs that need this vital training are able to get it and to keep the children in their care safe,” said Tiffini Simoneaux, Youth and Education Manager for the Office of Equity.
Due to safety precautions, the program will be offered in a hybrid format with participants at two physical locations following strict COVID-19 protocols. Virtual video instruction by Pittsburgh paramedics and the Fire Prevention Officer will be broadcast live to training locations. University of Pittsburgh Student EMS monitors will be at each location to verify certifications for participants.
“Bystanders are often the first people on scene of a medical emergency. Providing first aid and CPR training to childcare providers will allow for high quality bystander care to be rendered prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel and will improve patient outcomes. Pittsburgh EMS is proud to safely provide this training and encourages everyone to learn CPR,” Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS Assistant Chief Pinchalk said.
Fire Prevention Officer Lisa Epps-Cuda added that, “Fire safety is a necessary part of emergency preparedness and every family and business must have a fire safety plan in place. Childcare facilities are no exception. I am looking forward to sharing this information with childcare providers throughout the City of Pittsburgh to make sure that in the event of an emergency, these facilities know exactly what to do and how to stay safe.”
Upon completion of this course, each participant will receive an American Heart Association Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid and CPR/AED certification, as well as a Fire Safety certificate at no cost.
The all-day training will be hosted by the Office of Equity, Bureau of EMS and Bureau of Fire in partnership with Trying Together and the Early Learning Resource Center Region 5. Trainings will be held on Saturday, April 10 at 10:00 a.m. Registration is required and space is limited. Childcare staff and early learning professionals who work or reside in the City of Pittsburgh are eligible to participate in this program and can sign up here.
