Castlegar Public Health Nurses will be hosting a Free Car Seat clinic in partnership with Interior Health and BCAA. The clinic will be held September 16 at the Castlegar Fire Hall.
Certified child passenger safety educators will check out the car seat, how it is installed in the vehicle, and how the child is secured in the seat. They will also look at recall lists and check out what is the best place for the seat to be installed in each individual car. “We all learn from it. It's not an inspection process, it is a learning process. It can be so easy to make errors with how you actually put your seat in the car and how you secure the child in the seat,” said Denise Talarico, PHN at the Castlegar Health Centre.
Statistics tell us that in BC, 1400 children under the age of 9 are injured and 4 are killed in vehicle crashes each year. Research shows that seatbelts and car seats, when used properly, are the most effective tools in preventing injuries and deaths in crashes.
The firehall makes an ideal location, and the public health nurses appreciate the support of the fire department. “We are very lucky to have the use of the firehall... so it can happen rain or shine,” said Talarico. “They just pull the fire trucks out and the cars come right in, so they are all under cover so that if it is rainy or miserable it can still take place. The firefighters are very generous in lending us the use of the hall.”
Appointments are necessary to utilize the clinic and can be made by calling Castlegar Public Health at 250-365-4310.