State class trains inspectors to correctly install car seats

LYNN – When the Fire Department offered the public a free car seat inspection last May the results were no surprise.More than 95 percent of the motorists who took advantage of the inspection at the Lynnfield Street firehouse n mostly concerned parents and guardians n had incorrectly installed car seats.”The state average is 80 percent incorrectly installed, but around here it’s 95-98 percent,” said Ray Peachey, who heads up the child passenger safety initiative at Highway Safety Division within the state’s Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.Peachey, a retired Westford police officer and 1967 Lynn English High graduate, said the state is promoting a certified car-seat installer program, through which firefighters, police officers, nurses, schoolteachers and healthcare workers can learn the skill and, ultimately, save children’s lives.”Most people care about their kids and they put car seats into their automobiles to keep them safe, but most often they don’t do it right,” he said. “Usually it takes a half hour to 45 minutes to put one in properly.”Fire Capt. Joseph Zukas from the department’s safety office said Peachey is trying to attract a wide range of students to the free four-day program, which will be held July 21-24 at North Shore Community College.”In most of the classes a majority of students have been police officers and firefighters. For this upcoming class, which will have 25 students, the majority will probably be police and fire, but the state would like to get other occupations to take the program too ? nurses, teachers, social service and healthcare workers, day care providers, pre-school teachers and people from the Housing Authority,” Zukas said.Currently the Fire Department has three certified installers and a motoring public eager for more inspection sites.”Anybody who attends the class has to take all four days to get certified,” said Peachey.Anyone interested in enrolling should contact Peachey by email at [email protected] or call the state’s Child Passenger Safety Hotline at 877-392-5956.