Granite Quarry FD offering free car seat inspections, installations

GRANITE QUARRY — The Granite Quarry Fire Department is offering free car seat inspections to any member of the public who requires assistance.

The service is offered by all eight full-time members of the fire department, said Fire Chief Jason Hord. Anyone who wishes to have the fire department assist them can visit https://www.granitequarrync.gov/Departments/Fire-Department and sign up on the appointment calendar, located under the “Fire Department Links” section. Appointments are available for Tuesdays and Thursdays in hour blocks from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Captain Brian Peebles said that the department does have an on-call technician for emergency services, such as when a birth occurs unexpectedly or when a car seat has been involved in an accident, but the department asks that appointments be made for all non-emergency inspections and installations.

The department will also be present and providing the car seat services at the town’s National Night Out event held at Granite Lake Park on Aug. 6, said Hord.

Peebles said that part of the inspection that the department offers is to compare the seat to a list, which is updated quarterly, and look for car seats that have either been recalled by the manufacturer or expired. He advised parents to register their car seats through the forms provided with the seats, which allows the seat manufacturer to directly notify the owner of any recalls or other issues.

Car seats typically have an expiration date of six to 10 years after the purchase date, said Peebles. Car seats suffer from wear and tear not only from use, but also from the extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, that the seat experiences while sitting in the vehicle.

Peebles said that the department has offered the checks for over a decade and Hord noted that the department requires all full-time staff to become certified child passenger safety technicians.

The Landis Fire Department also offers free car seat inspections. Appointments are encouraged and can be made by calling 704-202-8527, according to the Landis town website.

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