WSFD to hold car seat check on Sept. 22
Fire Departments do a lot more than put out fires, and West Stafford Fire Department (WSFD) is often on car set duty. The program, which gives out car seats and checks for the proper installation, is made possible by grants from Connecticut Children's and Yale New Haven, in partnership with SafeKids Connecticut. There will be another opportunity to have yours checked on September 22.
“Over the last six months, we have done 40 car seat inspections/installations and given away 18 car seats,” says James Greene, one of WSFD’s volunteers. The seats are given to families who come in without a seat and might have difficulty affording one, or if they come in for an inspection and the car seat is expired, recalled, or otherwise unusable.
“Recently, because our service has been so successful we were actually approved for a second distribution of seats, so we have an additional 6 car seats coming next week in time for our next clinic,” says Greene.
Car seat inspections are typically done by appointment, though the department holds events in the spring and fall. If you would like to schedule one, you can reach out to Greene through Facebook or email to set one up. Each inspection takes place at the WSFD and takes about 15-30 minutes depending on the vehicle and car seat. “The program is fully funded through the grants we received, so there is no cost for an inspection/installation and no cost for a car seat if one is received,” says Greene.
The department’s car seat technicians attend a four-day course through SafeKids Connecticut. “That allows us to provide these inspections at the West Stafford Fire Department, and allowed us to apply for these grants, which we did this past winter. I decided to start a program here because when [my wife] and I were first becoming foster parents, we were required to have a car seat inspected by a technician as part of our pre-licensing process, and there was no technician in town to do that for us. We had to drive about 40 minutes away in order to have our seat inspected.”
Members of the fire department know more than most how important it is to have a car seat that’s properly installed.
“As an EMT with Stafford Ambulance, and as a firefighter in town, I am often called when a car accident occurs. And we see the effects of children who are not restrained or who are restrained improperly. Because of the severity of impacts in car accidents, being harnessed properly is critical to ensuring child safety, and car seats do wonders in preventing severe injury,” says Greene. “Before I took the course, I don't think I fully understood how much of a difference it can make in outcomes. A properly fitted car seat helps ride down the energy in an accident, supports the head and neck, and ensures that seat belts and airbags, which are sized for adults, are placed properly to minimize other injuries.”
Greene also hopes people remember that car seats need to be replaced after an accident. He says, “A family was involved in a car accident several months ago in Stafford where airbags were deployed. This necessitated new car seats for their two children who were in the car at the time of the accident. The family was able to come to the fire department and get their two children fitted for new car seats that same day. The mom in that family was also expecting a third child, and so we were able to provide a new car seat for their baby expected in the coming weeks.”
Sometimes caregivers are also eligible for help. “A family had a parent going through cancer treatment that required significant child care assistance from a relative,” says Greene. “That relative was able to come to the WSFD and receive a car seat, which allowed for easier transport of that child during a critical time for the family.”
