Ok who started this rummor?

[FFFRED]

I have to ask....Who started the rummor that Firemen install car seats?

A week doesn't go by where some mechanicaly ignorant yuppie wearing a shirt with some pastel color approaches us and tells us they were told by, their wife, husband, doorman, super, aunt, store clerk...etc. that the local firehouse will install a car seat for you.

Not one ever knows where the other persons have heard this but around here....we don't install jack sh*t. As if I have nothing better to do than do what you should be doing for yourself. Should I also change their tire, launder their suit and walk their dog?

And furthermore how g#dd@mned hard is it to install one anyways?...I followed the instructions and installed it according to the manufactures instructions on the 3 that I've used. It wasn't rocket science. If a person can't install one of these things on their own...they probably shouldn't be allowed to leave the house unsupervised, unmedicated and without wearing a protective helmet.

Some of these clowns undoubtedly work on Wall St. and are entrusted to manage your city's pension funds or 457..etc. but they can't install a plastic car seat? I can only imagine how proud their fathers must be at raising such a helpless, dead-weight, dope.

Does anyone know where this got started?

FTM-PTB

[neiowa]

I have to ask....Who started the rummor that Firemen install car seats?

A week doesn't go by where some mechanicaly ignorant yuppie wearing a shirt with some pastel color approaches us and tells us they were told by, their wife, husband, doorman, super, aunt, store clerk...etc. that the local firehouse will install a car seat for you.

Not one ever knows where the other persons have heard this but around here....we don't install jack sh*t. As if I have nothing better to do than do what you should be doing for yourself. Should I also change their tire, launder their suit and walk their dog?

And furthermore how g#dd@mned hard is it to install one anyways?...I followed the instructions and installed it according to the manufactures instructions on the 3 that I've used. It wasn't rocket science. If a person can't install one of these things on their own...they probably shouldn't be allowed to leave the house unsupervised, unmedicated and without wearing a protective helmet.

Some of these clowns undoubtedly work on Wall St. and are entrusted to manage your city's pension funds or 457..etc. but they can't install a plastic car seat? I can only imagine how proud their fathers must be at raising such a helpless, dead-weight, dope.

Does anyone know where this got started?

FTM-PTB

NYC

You described the demographic perfectly. Their fathers were the same.

[Catch22]

There's a SAFE KIDS (I believe that's what it's called) program out there that works with a number of fire departments to sponsor car seat safety programs. I believe the principle of the program is to train FF's to properly install car seats and to show parents how to do it right, instead of cobbling it up and getting their kid hurt because they put it in wrong.

[snowball]

Not to mention that if something happened to the kid during an accident, you could be held liable.
We turn them away.

[BENV17]

Well Fred, It's not really just a rumor. It's actually true firefighters in the state of Illinois go through 32-40 hours of training to be certified in child restaint system installation.

Yeah, you might think it's easy and you probably know how to install all the different models but industry experts say most seats are not installed correctly so in Illinois many new parents go to the local fire station to find a certified installer. We are more than happy to help our customers. Please read up on good public relations.

Maybe you don't install jack**** as you say but I think your crappy attitude is showing through in your post. I joined the fire service 23 years ago to help people, not get upset when they ask for a little help.

Even if your state does not certify installers would it kill you to help out a clueless new set of parents, or is that interupting your nap.

I hope you don't show this attitude around your chief or other officers. I'd be embarrassed to have an attitude like that.






I have to ask.Who started the rummor that Firemen install car seats?

A week doesn't go by where some mechanicaly ignorant yuppie wearing a shirt with some pastel color approaches us and tells us they were told by, their wife, husband, doorman, super, aunt, store clerk...etc. that the local firehouse will install a car seat for you.

Not one ever knows where the other persons have heard this but around here....we don't install jack sh*t. As if I have nothing better to do than do what you should be doing for yourself. Should I also change their tire, launder their suit and walk their dog?

And furthermore how g#dd@mned hard is it to install one anyways?...I followed the instructions and installed it according to the manufactures instructions on the 3 that I've used. It wasn't rocket science. If a person can't install one of these things on their own...they probably shouldn't be allowed to leave the house unsupervised, unmedicated and without wearing a protective helmet.

Some of these clowns undoubtedly work on Wall St. and are entrusted to manage your city's pension funds or 457..etc. but they can't install a plastic car seat? I can only imagine how proud their fathers must be at raising such a helpless, dead-weight, dope.

Does anyone know where this got started?

FTM-PTB

[FyredUp]

FFFRED...

My career FD does this and so does a number of others in our county. The personnel that do it are trained and certified car seat installers.

No, I am not one of the trained and certified installers.

I did however on several occasions through multiple vehicles manage to install car seats in my own automobiles without the assistanace of a certified installer.

To me though it really seems to be a logical procession of the de-evolution of the common man. Most people today can't build or fix anything on their own. This is just an extension of the helpless modern man.

[gunnyv]

There are depts around that do it. Mine used to, but there only a couple of people trained to do it, and they had some charity organization that took the liability and had their own people do most of the installs.

[lexfd5]

We have "car seat technicians" that do the installs. How it started we have no idea. Worst is that the hospitals require that the seat be installed by a "technician" before they'll send junior home. As opposed to the hospitals doing the job they ship them to us. Usually at the last minute...like the parents had no idea they'll need a car seat during the last nine months. Thank goodness I do not have a "technician" on my company.

As you stated this is just another example of the wussification of the United States...I threw up once, have a headache, can't figure out how a fire place damper works, the smoke alarm keeps beeping, my CO monitor is going off and I live in an all electric home, etc...and now need an ambulance/fire department to help me.

[lexfd5]

To me though it really seems to be a logical procession of the de-evolution of the common man. Most people today can't build or fix anything on their own. This is just an extension of the helpless modern man.

I believe that would be the metro-sexual male. But at least they look nice and are properly groomed. Why would they want to get dirty...it would mess up their hair.


These are the guys handling your retirement accounts...

[eastcoastFF]

I had a few request for car seat installs at work. I was informed that Walmart told them to go to a fire station. I helped them out as much as I could. I probably shouldn't have, as stated earlier if something bad happened lawyers would have a field day. It is a sad testement to our country how often people need our help for basic tasks. I guess we need think positive and realize it is job security.

[FireWA1]

I'm all for having your car seats installed properly but I can see things going bad really quick. I feel that some parent might sue the fire department after their kid was killed using the car seat that the FD installed. It could just get bad. That's just my opinion.

[Hexxus]

We've had quite a few people come to our station and ask us to do it. We had one mother get quite abusive towards our 2nd Assistant Chief when we turned them away since she thought it was our responsibility to teach. The liability involved should we do it and death or injury occur just outweighs the possibility of it being a helpful subject for the community. And people around here, and anywhere, for that matter are way to happy to sue these days. It's just not worth it. Anymore it just seems that it doesn't matter if someone gets killed, the prospect of getting money from someone actually shows how much the benefactors cared about or loved the deceased.

[hwoods]

We got involved in car seat stuff about 10 - 12 years ago, but we rarely do one anymore. And Yes, it was the Safe Kids Organization that started the ball rolling, at least in this area. We enjoyed doing car seats, and if we had the resources, we'd get back into it again. As I said in another thread, "Whatever it Takes...."

[THEFIRENUT]

We also install car seats.....

As well as drive drunks home, carry condoms to teen activities, perform circumcisions and a number of other community "Help, I've fallen and can't get up" based services.


p.s. Please don't flame me, I'm just kidding!!!!!!!!

[nmfire]

These are probably the same people that call 911 to ask:

- How do I get to ______ street?
- What time are the fireworks?
- What time is the easter egg hunt?
- What time is it now?
- Is it snowing there?
- My power is out. What do I do?

[Diane E]

Personally, I've never heard of a lawsuit.

If you don't have the capacity to assist, you can tell people to search for a place near them (instead of ranting), better yet, have a place near you participate in your Fire Prevention/Open Houses/Safety Days.

Car Seat Inspection Stations:

http://pediatrics.about.com/library/...n_stations.htm

Or:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm

Someone mentioned Safe Kids...

CPS Certification:

http://www.usa.safekids.org/tier2_rl.cfm?folder_id=3600

[kmacinnes]

Our department has done car seat inspections and installations for a number of years. It is one of our best public relations tools as the soon to be parent gets to meet our installers, learn a little more about what we do and how we do it and go home knowing that their car seat is installed properly and their child,OUR CUSTOMER, is safe. Our technicians are sent to a 40 hour class every two years, we schedule appointments and pay the technicians overtime to be available to our public (read: the people who pay the taxes that fund our wages). Like it or not, we are a public service and if that means we do car seat installations and station tours to keep people happy, then do it and use that event as a way to improve our image.

[MikeWard]

... As well as drive drunks home, carry condoms to teen activities, perform circumcisions and a number of other community "Help, I've fallen and can't get up" based services.

Now I gotta clean the coffee off the computer screen



I am still confused. Why does it takes as long to become a certified child seat installer as it takes to maintain paramedic certification? That still does not seem like a good use of our time and capability.

What if we required a STANDARDIZED, SIZE-APPROPRIATE car seat that takes ONE hour of training to install?

Some of our stations would see the same folks two or three times a month to install the same car seat in the same car.

Maybe this is a job for a fire cadet, extended light duty employee or auxillary member, instead of the on-duty fire suppression crew.

Mike

[NewHampshireFF]

I see this as similar to installing smoke detectors, something we sometimes do.

As for the training hours, every certification system I have ever seen requires a number of hours that is way out of whack with the amount of material to be learned.

[ChicagoFF]

Well Fred, It's not really just a rumor. It's actually true firefighters in the state of Illinois go through 32-40 hours of training to be certified in child restaint system installation.

Yeah, you might think it's easy and you probably know how to install all the different models but industry experts say most seats are not installed correctly so in Illinois many new parents go to the local fire station to find a certified installer. We are more than happy to help our customers. Please read up on good public relations.

Maybe you don't install jack**** as you say but I think your crappy attitude is showing through in your post. I joined the fire service 23 years ago to help people, not get upset when they ask for a little help.

Even if your state does not certify installers would it kill you to help out a clueless new set of parents, or is that interupting your nap.

I hope you don't show this attitude around your chief or other officers. I'd be embarrassed to have an attitude like that.

Don't say Illinois when you really mean your department. I work in Illinois and we have nothing to do with installing anything for anyone. I have only been asked a couple of times and was surprised that they really thought we would do this for them.

P.S. 32 - 40 Hours?!?!??? Thats just stupid...