Belvidere Fire Department performs child safety seat checks

By Kathryn Menue
Editor
BELVIDERE – On Saturday, April 2, Belvidere firefighters braved the bitter temperatures, gusty winds, and sporadic snowfalls to perform child safety seat checks.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the firefighters were stationed at the PNC Bank parking lot, located at 130 S. State St. in Belvidere, conducting child safety seat inspections free of charge. There to help were Belvidere Fire Lt. Shawn Schadle, and firefighters Mark Beck, Greg Pavlatos, Glenn Williams, and Brad Heiser.
“We’re making sure seats are properly installed, appropriately sized for the child, and in good condition,” Beck said. He added that they were also making sure there were no recalls on any of the safety seats, because even if someone bought a car seat the previous day, it could still have a recall on it.
“You never know how long it was sitting on the shelf,” Beck said.
The child safety seat checks also included education.
“We do a lot of education with this,” Beck said. The educational process instructs parents on how to install the car seat properly. It also focuses on following the recommended guidelines from both the car seat manufacturer and the state.
According to Williams, infants’ car seats should be in the reverse position until the child is 2-years-old. However, it all comes down to whether your child is fitting in the seat properly. If they are a little bigger for their age, they may need to be moved to the forward position sooner to ensure comfort and safety. Williams said this is all based on the frontal impact crash test.
According to Pavlatos, Illinois law also mandates that children should be in a safety seats from infancy to 8-years-old. Depending on the size of the child, children could potentially be in a booster seat longer.
Pavlatos said that children can be removed from booster seats when the seatbelt fits them properly without a booster. The shoulder belt should rest against the clavicle bone, while the lap belt hits the hip bone. The seatbelt should not touch any soft tissue.
With these guidelines, Pavlatos said that this could mean even some adults would need booster seats.
During the safety checks, firefighters also corrected mistakes people made while installing car seats.
According to Pavlatos, one of the most common mistakes people make is using both safety systems at once. Parents installed latch system and then they also use the regular seat belt around the latch system, thinking that they are being extra safe. Actually, they are putting added stress on the latch system, which could potentially create problems for the system and the child.
If anyone has any questions or concerns about their child’s safety seat system, they can contact the fire department at (815) 544-2242.
However, if anyone is looking for advice on what car seat to buy, the fire department won’t recommend brands.
“They all do the job,” Pavlatos said. “They’re all rated by the same grading scale.”
The Belvidere Fire Department is always available to help with any other child safety seat concerns though. The fire department has two or three individuals on each shift who are certified in proper car seat installation. They also plan on conducting these safety check specials every spring and fall.