Car Seat Events

Need help installing your child's car seat?  The Thornton Fire Department is here to assist you with in-person events and virtual appointments. Virtual appointments are conducted via Zoom or FaceTime and will utilize installation videos, checks for- recalls, proper strap/harness placement and tightness, and discuss overall safety.

Event and appointment information is listed below.  Event dates will be updated monthly.  We do not encourage you to stop by a station, why??  Not all firefighters are Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician's.  They may also get called out to an emergency and leave you with an uninstalled car seat.  It is best to attend an event. 

​Car Seat Safety

Child passenger safety has dramatically evolved over the past decade.  However, motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for children 4 years and older.  Many of these deaths can be prevented. Always, buckling children in age- and size-appropriate car seats, booster seats, and seat belts reduces serious and fatal injuries by up to 80%.

The Thornton Fire Department offers a child passenger safety program to keep our younger residents safe!  One out of every ten car seats is installed incorrectly. Car seat check-up events are normally offered by appointment and drop-in basis from April-October. 

We do not encourage you to stop by a station, why??  Not all firefighters are Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician's.  They may also get called out to an emergency and leave you with an uninstalled car seat.  It is best to attend an event. 

Here are some helpful tips:

• Rear-facing infant or convertible restraints should be used until a child is at least one-year-old and weighs at least 20 - 30 pounds.
• Never put an infant in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger air bag! Infants must ride in the back seat facing the rear of the vehicle. This offers the best protection for your infant's neck. It's safest to keep infants rear-facing until at least two years old.
• Forward-facing convertible or toddler restraints should be used for children over age one and 20-40 pounds.
• Belt-positioning boosters should be used from the time a child weighs 40 pounds/less than 57 inches.
• A shoulder belt should never be placed behind or under the arm of a child. Lap and shoulder belts should be used on children older than eight, and more than 57 inches tall, (4'9".)
• Children under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat.

Remember that car restraints expire after six years unless otherwise stated.

Do not buy a used child restraint unless it is from a trusted source that knows the restraint's history.