SAFETY SQUAD BLOG: November 2008

When we talk with clients about fire safety in the home, we often end up talking about the family pet. In many cases, we are speaking with expectant parents who's first "child" was a dog. We are huge dog lovers, so we get it, they are a huge part of the family.

But, let's be clear. You are a bigger part of your family, so don't go looking for a dog or cat or whatever in a fire.

In a house fire, you're pet has a better chance of living than you do! They are fast and low... you are not. They don't need as much oxygen and they recover quickly in many cases. If the intensity of a fire has you flee from your home, don't go back in. It's usually not the fire that gets you, its the smoke.

Let the fire department do its job, when you run back into a fire and go down, firefighters now have to risk more to save you. If your pet is the only victim, we'll do CPR or give oxygen.

Last night in Cicero, IL, another man tried to save his dog. He died, the dog got out. Sad for sure, but totally avoidable. This is certainly not a judgment. Every circumstance is different, but very often they end the same way.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

When we talk with parents, we often talk about "What if it happens?". But as firefighters, paramedics, cops and nurses, we know that crashes happen... all the time.

Usually, it takes a death for people to take action. So, we want to tell you about a very sad event. Last night, a volunteer firefighter in suburban Chicago lost his family in a roll-over crash caused by a drunk driver. The crash was horrific and most likely criminal. While details are not complete, it has been reported that the two young children were thrown from their car seats into a field.

We don't know if the car seats failed, or if the children were secured properly, or if the crash was so violent that no measure of safety would have saved these children and their mom.

But we do know some things about parents and car seats.

We know that most children are riding in improperly installed car seats. We know that most parents don't secure their children correctly. We know that most parents believe that these facts don't apply to them. And we also know that you can only take action BEFORE the crash, to give your children every chance to live.

We can't change what happened here and we don't know what happened with the car seats, but we can take steps to prepare for the next crash.

Taking action saves two

Recently, we were informed of two crashes that could have been worse, but properly installed car seats saved the children inside.

Side-Impact: The wife of a Northwestern Memorial employee was driving with their daughter (25lbs and 15 months old). The car was a 2004 Chevy Malibu LT. Her seat was a Britax Boulevard and it was in the middle. These were the facts when they the crash happened. While the mother was injured, the daughter was fine.

A recent report by the AAP stated that the middle position is 43% safer than the window seats. This isn't always possible to achieve, but it should be the first choice. The child was secured properly. The Britax Boulevard includes dedicated side impact protection which adds to the safety of the seat. All of these factors worked together to protect their daughter in this full side-impact crash.

Roll-Over: Last month, one of our clients was driving his 03 Range Rover with his son in the back. While the Range Rover is a quality vehicle, it like most SUVs, is more likely to roll-over in a crash... and his did. The truck was totaled, but the child was uninjured. Once again, this child was in the middle. He was riding in a high-weight five-point harness (Britax Regent) and not a booster.

Our Lesson

Sometimes, you can only do so much to protect your kids and yourself in a crash. But most times, preparation will save lives and anguish. Don't just get your car seat checked, know how to use it, know how to fit your child into the seat and know that as your child grows you may grow out of proper-use into mis-use. So get re-educated as baby grows into a toddler into adolescence.