Safe Kids Cherokee Awarded Grant

Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services was awarded the 2013 Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Mini-Grant by the Georgia Department of Public Health's Office of Injury Prevention.

The agency, along with Safe Kids Cherokee County, will use the mini-grant and work together to provide car seats and education to financially eligible families in Cherokee County.

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and the Maternal and Child Health Program "fund the grant to help ensure Georgia’s children are safe while riding in motor vehicles," Cherokee Fire said in a press release.  

Since 2007, Cherokee Fire states at least 229 children in Georgia who were involved in crashes were saved from serious injury or death by car seats, booster seats and education provided through the mini-grant.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent among infants and by 54 percent among children ages 1 to 4 years in passenger cars.

Car seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash, and they are most effective when installed and used correctly, the agency wrote.

Roughly three out of four car seats are not installed and used properly, placing children at unnecessary risk.

"It’s our responsibility to keep our children safe," said Capt. Chad Arp, coalition leader for Safe Kids Cherokee County. "The car seat mini-grant is a great opportunity to help our community and help protect our kids from serious injuries or death in motor vehicle crashes.”

Safe Kids Cherokee County, led by Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, educates parents and care givers on how to properly install and use car seats, offers car seat inspections and provides car seats and booster seats to financially eligible families.

For more information about the Cherokee County car seat program, contact Safe Kids Cherokee County at (678) 493-4343.