Child Safety Seats
Are you confused with your child’s car seat? Are you confident it’s properly installed?
The Fire Department hosts periodic child safety seat inspections. To take advantage of these free car seat inspections, make an appointment today! Inspections only take about 30 minutes per car seat.
Fire Fighter Tommy Thomson completed a 40-hour class conducted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), and now has the title of a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. When Tommy conducts an inspection, he goes over a twenty or so checkpoint list, which includes such items as:
- Making sure the seat is the proper size for the child
- Making sure the seat is facing in the correct direction and properly installed
- Verifying operation of the new latch systems installed by car manufacturers after 2001
- How to put a seat back together properly and safely, should yours be apart
- The makes and models of seats that have a recall on them
Tommy also recommends that parents with child safety seats over ten years old dispose of them. Beware of purchasing seats at garage sales - your child is safer when you spend the extra money and purchase a new one. The NHTSA also recommends that if you are involved in an accident, even a minor fender bender, that the seat be disposed of and a new one purchased. This is because accidents can alter the fittings and construction of the seat. The alterations may not be visibly noticeable, but please don't take a chance on your most precious cargo.