Colorado emergency responders become car seat technicians to help protect your little ones
Car crashes are continuing to be the leading cause of death for children across the United States, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Now, emergency responders across Colorado are learning how to be car seat technicians so they can bring this statistic down. The Colorado Department of Transportation is providing these classes for free.
One course was held Tuesday morning at the Frederick Firestone Fire District headquarters in Longmont. With first responders being the first line of defense, these classes are essential to them and their ability to keep kids safe.
Angel Giffin, state child passenger safety training coordinator for CDOT, says this is a four-day course. On day one, these technicians in training are taught about vehicles, airbags, seat belt systems, locking mechanisms and installation from the vehicle's side.
On days two through four, they are taught about the hundreds of car seat options, how the child will fit the car seat based on age, height and weight, how long the child should stay rear-facing, when can they go forward facing and how to adjust the child restraint properly.
CDOT says the misuse rate continues to be at 78% in Colorado. The biggest issue comes from the harness not being adjusted correctly, too loose or too twisted. These technicians in training will learn how to help these parents and guardians so the death rates can decrease. Emergency responders have to be accurate at all times as this can be a life-or-death situation.
"They need to have a solid grasp on it because that's who the parents are relying on and trusting their child's life to," Giffin said. "We educate the technicians that they need to be comfortable with reading the vehicle's owner manual, the car seats manual and helping it makes sense to the parents and caregivers."
Many parents asked, "how do I keep my child calm when getting them in the seatbelt?" CDOT recommends giving them their favorite toy, activity or snack to keep them distracted. If they are booster-seat kids, usually around age eight or nine, get them involved. Show them the importance of being in a seatbelt and how to properly put it on.
If you are looking for a car seat technician, head to CarseatsColorado.com. There are hundreds of options across the state of Colorado. Each installation takes about 20 to 30 minutes and is free for everyone.
