Goodfellow firefighters get national safety seat certification

  • Published
  • By Jeff Wilkins
  • 17th Civil Engineer Squadron Fire Department
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The leading cause of death for children ages 1-14 is a motor vehicle accident, and according to the National Highway Traffic Safety and Traffic Administration, about four children are killed in vehicle accidents in the United States everyday due to defective or improperly installed child safety seats. But this statistic can be drastically decreased simply by having car seats checked by certified technicians.

Each year the base conducts two promotional Safe Kids Buckle Up events at the base exchange/commissary parking lot. During the last Safe Kids Buckle Up check this past summer, nine out of 10 child safety seats on Goodfellow were found to be improperly installed. The next Safe Kids Buckle Up event is Dec. 3 from 3-5:30 p.m., but those who can't make this event, can rest assured as the Goodfellow Fire Department now has 12 firefighters nationally certified to conduct checks too.

Joining forces with the Safe Kids San Angelo organization, Goodfellow hosted the child safety seat technician course Nov. 9-12 and now the Goodfellow Fire Department is open for business to inspect and correctly install any child's safety seat, said Goodfellow Fire Department Fire Chief John Foote.

"It's been our goal for a long time to train and educate our firefighters to perform this much needed service to our Air Force family," Chief Foote said. "You don't have to rescue someone from a burning building to save a life and be a hero. There are many ways in which one can save a life such as installing a smoke detector or in this case becoming a child safety seat technician."

The effort to bring this importance life-saving service to the base populace was spearheaded by Leisa Lloyd from the 17th Medical Group who formed a coalition of support from Safe Kids San Angelo, the wing commander, wing safety and the 17th Civil Engineer Squadron.

Individuals with questions or concerns about the correct installation of their child's safety seat can stop by the base fire department or call (325) 654-3532.