Salisbury Fire Department Hosts Child Car Seat Checks
SALISBURY, Md. — The Maryland Health Department partnered with the Salisbury Fire Department to hold a child car seat check event on Tuesday. Attendees learned how to properly install car seats and received guidance on adjusting seats as children grow from certified child passenger safety technicians available at Station 16.
The technicians conducted one-on-one informational sessions that lasted around 45 minutes. The event was put on by Maryland Kids In Safety Seats (KISS), a statewide program, “dedicated to preventing childhood injuries in vehicle crashes,” according to the state website.
“We do car seat checks throughout the state. We’re a statewide program because we know that so many people in the community want to make sure their children are traveling safely,” said Claire Myer, assistant coordinator at KISS. “It can be very confusing with all the different vehicles on the road, all the different car seats and children’s ages and stages being different. And the best practices to keep them safe also changes as they get older and bigger.”
Myer added that car crashes are one of the leading causes of injury for children across the country and stressed the importance of preventative safety measures in the car.
Logan Helmuth, assistant chief at the Salisbury Fire Department, explained the how the fire department sees importance of these safety measures.
“In our job, it’s so important for kids to be in car seats. We respond to multiple accidents a day, and when kids aren’t restrained in car seats, they usually sustain pretty bad injuries and can even cause fatalities when they’re not in car seats,” Helmuth said.
KISS will be holding additional car seat safety events in September and October. More information can be found on the program’s website
