About the Program

The first and most important goal of the program is to have every child who arrives at our station leave safer than when he or she came. Thus every child safety seat check we complete strives for the following:

• Ensure the child has an appropriate seat for their age, weight, size, and the vehicle they will be riding in.
• Educate the parents, guardians, and anyone who will be transporting the child regarding the best practices to follow when installing the seat in their car.
• Demonstrate the proper way to secure a child in the seat.
• Check for any manufacturer recalls, safety, or defect issues.
• Ensure compatibility between the car seat and the vehicle.
• Provide additional information on other agencies's child safety programs.

Installing a Child Safety Seat Is Not a Simple Task

Persons who go about the task of properly installing a car seat are often surprised to discover that the process is anything but straightforward. Our nationally certified technicians undergo 40 hours of training, and they must recertify every two years. At a minimum, our firefighters must complete a 16 hour course before participating in a child safety seat check. Installing a car seat requires such extensive training because every car is different and every car seat is different. Thus, how one installs the same car seat in one vehicle may be quite different in another. Additionally, the type of seat appropriate for a child will change several times as the child grows and develops. All of these factors complicate the installation process, and thus a correct installation is achieved only when great care is taken.

Even with all the best intentions on the part of parents and caregivers, statistics have shown that more than 90% of the car seats brought into checking stations are installed incorrectly. A correct installation is of paramount importance because if a seat is not correctly installed, and the child is not correctly strapped into the seat, it will fail to provide the level of safety and protection it was designed to afford in the event of a wreck.

Obtaining a Car Seat from the Fire-Rescue Department

The Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department does have a limited number of child safety seats available for distribution under certain circumstances. The goal of the distribution program is to ensure that a child leaves safer than when they arrived. Additionally, persons of limited financial means, who are receiving financial assistance from the government, may be eligible for a seat at a reduced price. Similarly, if a person arrives with a defective or otherwise no longer safe child safety seat, they too may be eligible to purchase a car seat. In all cases, eligibility to purchase a seat will be based on the individual merits of the family situation and the safety of the child on a case by case basis. The cost of the seats are as follows:

Information and Resources

An excellent source of additional information is the North Carolina Child Passenger Safety Resource Center. At their web site there is a wealth of information pertaining to child safety seats, including information regarding North Carolina's seat belt and child safety seat laws.