Fire lt. specializing in child car seat safety

SAUGUS – The thought of being a firefighter conjures up images of brave men rushing into a burning building, or pulling someone out of a mangled car with the jaws of life.However, Saugus fire Lieutenant Rick Porter has taken on a much gentler role, one that is no less important than his regular firefighting duties.For the past five years, Porter has been inspecting child seats for residents in and around Saugus. Once a month, parents and grandparents can call the fire station to schedule an appointment with Porter to have him look over their car seat and offer help in making them as safe as possible.?The brochures are just too hard to read sometimes,” said Porter. “You need to be able to show someone, ?This is the way it goes in, this is where it should tighten.? There?s hundreds of different seats that all fit differently. Just because you buy a $500 seat doesn?t mean it?s right for your car or your child.”On Tuesday, Saugus resident Mike Mini came to the station to have his baby seat inspected for his 20-month-old grandson.?He put it in beautiful and I tell you, you can?t move it,” said Mini. “We?re very grateful that we can get it professionally done. They do a better job than you or I could.”Porter had previously installed a car seat for Mini but when his Mercedes broke down recently, it had to be taken out so mechanics could get the battery under the rear seat.?He did it the last time and did a nice job,” said Mini. “He?s got it in there really secure and it?s a lot of protection for the baby. Everybody should come and have it installed by someone that knows what they?re doing. If you don?t lock that seat belt in ? you can hit something and the car seat can move with the baby in it.”Porter was first certified five years ago after taking an 80-hour class, and has to put in six hours of continuing education a year and attend events with certified instructors to maintain his certification.For Fire Chief James Blanchard, Porter has been a big asset when it comes to car safety.?He has a great rapport with people,” said Blanchard. “He?s a real people person and he?s a family man. He likes kids and he?s a really great guy to work with, with these car seats. He has made such a difference in people?s lives with these car seats.”Porter said stores like Babies “R” Us will let customers try out car seats before they buy them, but the variety of seats on the market can complicate things when trying to choose the right one.?It?s tough to get the seats tight if you don?t really know what you?re doing,” said Porter. “I try and educate people how to do it. I usually try and get them to do it for themselves.”The two most common mistakes Porter sees are that the seats aren?t in tight enough or they?re facing the wrong direction.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says an infant needs to be in a rear-facing car seat until they reach a year old or 20 pounds, but Porter recommends going beyond that to 2 or even 3 years old.?When it?s rear-facing you have the whole seat back behind you so in an accident the shoulder straps keep them in place and all the impact is spread out over their back,” said Porter. “When they?re forward-facing, the harness holds their body but it doesn?t hold their head and they can have a dislocation.”If a car seat is involved in an accident, Porter said it has to be replaced since certain parts of the seat can become ineffective after a sharp impact. This is why Porter said it?s always best to buy a car seat brand new.?That?s why you shouldn?t get a seat at a garage sale,” said Porter. “You don?t know if it?s been in an accident, you don?t know whether the belts are damaged. Once it?s in an accident it has to be gone.”Porter, who has a 7-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter, no longer has child seats in his own car, but still uses booster seats. Even though his daughter is old enough to ride without one, Porter knows all too well the dangers of not using one.?My daughter is mad at me because by law she