HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) – Did you know nearly 73 percent of car seats are not installed or used correctly? The Harrisonburg Fire Department offers free car seat installations and education to area families throughout the year to help reduce this number and will soon roll out a special event to encourage even more people to check their seats.

This year, to get in the holiday spirit of giving and help make the community safer, HFD has created a new “12 Days of Christmas” car seat event. Harrisonburg community members can schedule an appointment to get their car seats checked by HFD certified car seat technicians from Dec. 9 to 23 and receive a $20 Walmart gift card, while supplies last, in the process.

HFD received a $12,000 grant from Safe Kids Worldwide to enhance the City’s child passenger safety efforts, as vehicle crashes are a leading cause of fatal unintentional injury among children under age 14. Grant funding has supported the purchase of nearly 100 car seats that have been distributed to organizations and nonprofits that provide resources to underserved and marginalized communities. These organizations include Church World Services, First Step, Hand in Hand, Healthy Families of the Blue Ridge, the Salvation Army Toy Convoy and more.

Additionally, HFD staff have hosted more than 30 car seat checks and educational events throughout 2024. “We know firsthand how critical it is to make sure children are properly secured in a vehicle,” HFD Public Education Officer Lt. Erin Stehle said. “Our ‘12 Days of Christmas’ program is an effort to promote child passenger safety, especially around the holidays with the amount of traveling everyone does. Also, we wanted to join in on the holiday season and spread a little joy to our amazing community.”

Community members who would like to participate in the “12 Days of Christmas” event must schedule an appointment before Dec. 23 by calling 540-810-0527. Interested individuals are strongly suggested to call early to make sure they get scheduled. HFD also participates in the Virginia Department of Health’s (VDH) free child safety seat program for income-eligible children. Go to Low Income Safety Seat Program – Child Passenger Safety to see if you qualify.

“One of the best gifts you can give this season is the gift of love and safety,” Stehle added. “Showing love and protecting children means making sure they are in the right car seat or booster seat for their age and size every time they are in a vehicle.”