Missoula Celebrated National Child Passenger Safety Week with a Lifesaving Impact

Missoula, MT - This past week, Missoula made remarkable strides in child passenger safety during National Child Passenger Safety Week. With a series of educational events and community-driven initiatives, the city reaffirmed its dedication to protecting its youngest residents on the road.

New Child Passenger Safety Techs Join the Ranks

A key highlight was the successful 4-Day Child Passenger Safety Technician Class held at the Missoula Emergency Medical Services Training Center. We are thrilled to welcome 10 new certified Child Passenger Safety Techs to Western Montana. These dedicated individuals are now equipped to guide families in ensuring their children's car seats are properly installed, significantly reducing the risk of injury in a crash.

Free Car Seat Check Events Make a Difference

The newly graduated techs wasted no time putting their skills to work. They celebrated their achievement by hosting a free car seat check event at Missoula Rural Fire District (MRFD) Station #1 on Friday, September 20th. During the event, they assisted 10 families, checking a total of 13 car seats.

The momentum continued on Saturday, September 21st, National Seat Check Saturday, with another free car seat check event at MRFD.  Supported by existing car seat techs from the Frenchtown Fire Department, St. Patrick's Hospital, Drive Safe Missoula, and Missoula Rural Fire Department, an additional 13 families are now better prepared to keep their children safe while traveling.

Firefighters: Saving Lives

MRFD Capt. Jason Butler, a Child Passenger Safety Instructor, eloquently highlighted the significance of these efforts, paraphrasing another fire chief: "Our firefighters will save more lives helping families with car seats than they ever will with an ax or fire hose." This powerful statement underscores the critical importance of providing car seat safety services to our community.

Seat Belt Use Reaches New Heights

In addition to car seat safety, the week also saw a positive trend in seat belt usage. Area seat belt surveys conducted at 6 different locations in Missoula revealed that more people than ever are buckling up. While seat belt use has been steadily increasing over the years, this year witnessed a jump to an impressive 95% compliance rate, up from the previous 93%. Pickup truck occupants, in particular, showed a significant increase, with over 92% choosing to wear their seat belts. That rocks!

Community Engagement at Safe Kids Fair

The week of safety awareness culminated on Sunday, September 22nd, with Drive Safe Missoula's participation in the Safe Kids Fair hosted by Community Health Alliance (Safe Kids Montana) at Ogren Park at Allegiance Field.  We had the pleasure of interacting with hundreds of families enjoying the activities, distributing Buckle Up bug coloring books, stickers, and valuable car seat safety information.

A Huge Thank You

A huge shoutout to the Community Health Alliance for their unwavering commitment to the well-being of our community. Their dedication to organizing events like the Safe Kids Fair creates invaluable opportunities for education and engagement on vital safety topics.

Missoula's commitment to child passenger safety during this year's National Child Passenger Safety Week sets a shining example for communities everywhere. The collective efforts of dedicated individuals and organizations have undoubtedly made a lasting impact on the safety of our children. Let's continue to prioritize safe travel for everyone on our roads.