The Pensacola Fire Department and Florida Department of Health are partnering to host a Car Seat Rodeo from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 at Fire Station 1 located at 475 E. Strong St. The event will have professional car seat technicians on hand to educate families about car seat safety, install car seats and teach parents and caregivers proper installation techniques, with a goal of reducing child injuries and fatalities due to improper car seat installation.
PFD’s certified car seat technicians will review each seat for proper fit, child height and weight, seat damage, missing parts, expiration dates and more. If a car seat is determined to be unsafe, a replacement car seat will be provided at no cost. The event will have over 100 car seats available to those in need based on inspection of their current child restraint.
“This event allows us to provide invaluable training to the community and protect our children at the same time,” Fire Chief Ginny Cranor said. “The Car Seat Rodeo is an opportunity to help prevent tragedy through proper education and training, and it continues to be one of the Fire Department’s most important events of the year.”
The Car Seat Rodeo began in 2009, with PFD actively holding community events throughout the years to engage with members of the Pensacola community. During the Nov. 4 event, residents are encouraged to allow 30 minutes for their seat’s installation. Children should be present to be properly fitted into the child safety seat, and vehicles should be free from debris to ensure a productive and effective process.
Car Seat Safety
- 46% of car seats are installed incorrectly.
- 3 children are killed on average in U.S. traffic crashes daily and an estimated 487 are injured.
- 71% of infants and 54% of toddlers are at a decreased risk of fatal injury when car seats are properly used.
- 45% of four to eight-year-olds are at a reduced risk of nonfatal injuries when booster seats are properly used.
- In 2017, it is estimated that 325 children under age five were saved because of the use of child restraints.
For more information on the Car Seat Rodeo, please contact Pensacola Fire Department at 850-436-5200.
To learn more about the importance of car seat safety, visit the safekids.org.
