As we approach the end of 2011, this years reflection focuses on CPS, child passenger safety, education in my community, Boulder, Colorado. For over 10 years I have had the support and assistance of one of our Boulder Police Department officers. Her tireless dedication to this program has been both a relief and a blessing as no one car seat technician can support a community the size of Boulder. With all of that, she is moving on and taking a promotion that will take her away from this cause. For the next few months, I will be the lone technician in Boulder. I am hopeful that some of the identified candidates to become technicians will be able and willing to participate in the 32 hour training class, make it through their apprenticeship and find support in their efforts, along with me, in our community. What about the fire department you ask? Well, we do not train fire fighters in Colorado to assist with car seats. Some departments throughout the state have opted in, most have let the opportunity pass and some have opted out believing this effort is not important. I will not comment further on my opinions other than to say that in Boulder County we have only one of 26 or so fire districts that participate in CPS. Hats off to BC Monty Richardson and the Longmont Fire Department. The rest of you, let’s rise to the occasion. I could spill statistics about the importance of this effort, but most have heard them all. I will throw two stats out there; they are over 90% of car seats are installed or used incorrectly and only about 25% of car seats ever get checked. It is well known that a car crash is the most likely reason, outside the home, a child does not live to graduate from high school. I volunteer an average of 60 plus hours a week to this effort. Yet, I sit at our local hospital or at a shopping center and see many car seats that need attention. Parents through either pride or ignorance let these situations carry on, maybe having a friend or neighbor assist them. Bad idea. An untrained person should never adjust or install your car seat for you, if for no other reason than they likely have no idea if they are doing it right, even if they have had kids of visited with a technician previously. Why? Well if nothing else, liability. I do dislike bringing that up, but bottom line, I do not care how well educated someone is, there are very few car seat experts out there. Even with 1000 plus trained individuals in Colorado, less than 100 have checked 5000 seats of more, much less are an obsessive geek like myself with over 50,000 seats checked. I would not let a neighbor do a brake job on my car if they were not a trained mechanic, why would you let someone else take responsibility for the safety of a child if they are not properly trained. So Sue, with all your experience and dedication, we will miss you. Thanks & congrats!