While a firefighter’s most important job will always be to put out the flames, they do a lot of outreach as well so that people know how to stay safe, prevent accidents, and respond in case of an emergency.

You can often find them in schools giving presentations to young kids who still don’t know the rules. And while most students are thrilled to have a break in their day to do something besides schoolwork, the disruption in routine can be really hard for some kids with disabilities.

That’s what happened to 3-year-old Kayli Templeton – who was diagnosed with autism in September 2019 – during a presentation at her school. She was clearly frazzled and became nervous about the disruption of the normal routine.

Luckily, volunteer firefighter Anthony Banas was there that day and – like any good first responder – was keenly aware of his surroundings and all the kids in the room. He noticed Kayli huddled in the corner with her teacher.

“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 knew a bit about what was going on since he has a 20-year-old brother who is autistic. Wanting to make the situation as comfortable but educational as possible for the little girl, he gave Kayli some extra attention so she could participate at her own speed without feeling overwhelmed.

“She didn’t have that usual shyness of children her age,” Banas continued.

While some kids with autism shy away from physical touch and other stimuli, others sometimes have socially inappropriate reactions such as hugging strangers or missing other social queues.

But Banas didn’t mind when, during the presentation, Kayli walked right up to him and gave him a big hug.

And since we seem to have our phones on us every moment of the day, someone was nearby to snap a photo of the sweet moment.

Later on, that photo of the girl hugging Banas – who was all too happy to show her some kindness – made it onto the fire department’s Facebook page.

As you might have guessed, it quickly went viral.

Kayli’s mother, Brittany, was also touched by the photo and the empathy Banas showed her daughter. Along with the photo, the fire department shared a message from the mom:

“…I didn’t even know she was struggling that day until I saw this picture. 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.”

The soon-to-be mom-of-three – who is still adjusting to her daughter’s diagnosis – 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 judgment. 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.”

Kayli clearly made a new friend that day and she even got to go visit Banas at the fire station and sit in the fire truck after their encounter.

That photo will warm your heart as well. It’s captioned:

“Proud to have had little Kayli at our firehouse today with Firefighter Banas.”

Be sure to scroll down below to see interviews with everyone involved and Kayli and Banas’ sweet reunion.

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Source: Fox 40 News, Yahoo Lifestyle, Wheatland Fire Authority via Facebook