SMFR’s Child Seat Safety Program

carseat

The Southern Manatee Fire Rescue District has partnered with SAFE-KIDS worldwide to provide child passenger safety seat checks. Installing a car seat can be a challenge, but it’s important to get the installation correct so that the car seat can work properly in a crash. Once you’ve installed your child’s seat, or any time you have questions about car seat safety, you can find certified child passenger safety technicians at the Southern Manatee Fire Rescue District who can assist you. Here are a few facts pertaining to child passenger safety statistics:

  • Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death among children ages 1 to 12
  • Children ages 2 to 7 who use safety belts prematurely are four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury in a crash than those in child safety seats or booster seats
  • Of those children, 1 in 3 died in vehicle crashes in 2020, 37% were unrestrained
  • Children should ride in the back seat until they are at least 13 years old

One of the greatest achievements in child injury prevention has been in child passenger safety. Southern Manatee Fire Rescue is committed to keeping the children in our community safe by performing child passenger safety seat checks. During these safety checks parents will be educated on the proper way to install a child safety restraint seat. Seats will also be inspected and checked against the current nationwide recall list. Safety checks are performed by on-duty firefighters that hold a nationwide CPS certification. A completed safety check takes between 20-30 minutes. Parents should bring the safety seat manual and the vehicle manual for the vehicle the seat is to be installed in. The child’s age and approximate weight is also needed to properly assess the safety seat call 941-225-2591.

Southern Manatee Fire Rescue District hosts child restraint inspection events in our Fire District in conjunction with SAFE-KIDS worldwide. At these events, child passenger safety technicians teach families how to transport children correctly. They also help make sure everyone in a vehicle is buckled up on every ride. Most events are open to the public. The dates for these events will be posted on our website.

If you would like to schedule an appointment or have any questions, please either fill out the form below and we will be in contact with you, or feel free to call or stop by any of our 5 fire stations during the day and we can put you in contact with one of our Car Seat Technicians who are on duty.

Questions? Please ask!

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