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Dec. 20, 2006
Shelley Szafraniec, APR
Community Information Specialist

VOLUSIA COUNTY FIRE SERVICES HOSTS SUCCESSFUL CHILD CARE SAFETY SEAT CHECKPOINT

Thirty-four Volusia County children are a little bit safer this holiday season, thanks to a child safety seat checkpoint held in December at the Volusia County Health Department in DeLand. At the checkpoint, firefighters from Volusia County Fire Services checked car seats to make sure they fit the child, were installed correctly, and had not been recalled from manufacturers. In addition, parents were educated on the dangers associated with loose items in a car (they can become projectiles in an accident), and encouraged to check again with Fire Services for additional child safety seat checks (the typical child will need two car seats).

During the day, the firefighters deemed 20 car seats unsafe or improper for the child. As part of the Florida Department of Transportation Car Seat grant program, the seats were replaced for a $10 donation.

According to Marge Taylor, coordinator for the program, the goal of these checkpoints is to help make sure children leave safer than when they arrived.

”The current national statistic indicates that four out of five car seats are installed incorrectly,” said Taylor. “This is a statistic we are trying to change in Volusia County.”

According to Taylor, Volusia County Fire Services joined the national child safety team program in 1999. Volusia County Fire Services has 91 firefighters who have completed the 32-hour certification course to work at these checkpoints - the highest number for any county fire service department in the state. In addition, the course was incorporated into the training for new firefighters, ensuring that every firefighter hired has this added knowledge to help save lives.

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