PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2019
Ventura County Fire Department awarded OTS grant to
increase awareness and hands-on training for child passenger safety
CAMARILLO, Calif. – The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) has been awarded a $60,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to expand education for child passenger safety through its car seat installation program. In collaboration with Safe Kids Ventura County and Ventura County Public Health , VCFD aims to help parents and caregivers prevent childhood injuries through car-seat checkups, hands-on training and educational workshops.

“Motor vehicle accidents remain one of the leading causes of death for children. Getting a car seat professionally checked and learning how to properly install it can prevent childhood injuries and protect the youngest passengers in our communities, ” commented Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen.

Thanks to OTS grant funding, VCFD and local experts can continue to provide car seat education and services, including:
  • Free car seat inspection appointments with nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPST) 
  • Educational classes designed to teach parents how to use and install the right safety seat based on their child’s height and weight
  • Providing free child safety seats to low-income families who complete a child safety-seat class
  • Trainings for Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPST)

According to Safe Kids Worldwide , 73 percent of car seats are not used or installed correctly. In the U.S., motor vehicle injuries are one of the leading causes of preventable deaths among children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Children should be as safe as possible when traveling in a car,” said OTS Director Barbara Rooney. “Funding for child passenger safety education and training allows our partners to make sure children are in the right car seat that is being used correctly.”

Funding for this child passenger safety program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .
 
For more information, contact VCFD’s Community Education Office at (805) 389-9748.