EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL CPS
INSPECTION STATIONS

The operation of CPS inspection stations will vary based on the needs and resources of each community. The following are examples of successful CPS inspection stations around the country.

Roseville Fire Department’s
CPS Fitting Stations

Location: Stationary sites at Roseville Fire Stations (6)

Days/Hours of Operation: Daily, by appointment

Sponsoring Organization: Roseville Fire Station

Established: 2000

Funding Sources: California Office of Traffic Safety Grant for equipment, educational materials, training and child safety seats; in-kind from fire station for salaries.

Annual Budget: Not available; fire station does not have separate budget for operation of inspection stations.

Staffing: Approximately 16-20 certified CPS technicians employed by sponsoring organization. Inspections are part of assigned duties; no overtime pay.

Client Populations Targeted: All

Volume: Approximately 450 seat inspections per year.

Replacement Seats: California law requires insurance companies to replace child safety seats involved in a vehicle crash. Child safety seats are provided for outdated or damaged seats only if child is present at time of inspection. Seats are provided free to families in financial need; otherwise, donations are requested.

Data Collection: Checklist designed by fire department. Data are reported to funding organization and used for in-house analysis and evaluation.

Contact for More Information:
Roseville Fire Station
401 Oak Street, #402
Roseville, California 95678
Phone: (916) 772-6300
Fax: (916) 772-6353

Department of Motor Vehicles

District of Columbia

Location: Stationary; A Department of Motor Vehicle Inspection Station

Operational Days/Hours: Appointments not necessary. Monday and Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sponsoring Organization(s): D.C. SAFE KIDS Coalition, D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles and D.C. Department of Public Works

Established: 2000

Funding Sources: Initial start-up funds through a highway safety grant from the D.C. Department of Public Works; operational funds now appropriated by the D.C. government to D.C. SAFE KIDS Coalition for staff salaries, child safety seats, education materials and supplies; location provided by D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.

Annual Budget: $125,000

Staffing: 1-3 certified CPS technicians (paid positions); volunteers as available.

Client Population Targeted: All children from birth to eight years of age residing in or visiting the District of Columbia.

Volume: Approximately 1,500–1,800 seat inspections per year.

Replacement Seats: Provided with requested donation.

Data Collection: Data are collected using SAFE KIDS Buckle Up Child Safety Seat Checklist. Data are used for reports to funding organizations and for in-house analysis and evaluation.

Contact for More Information:
D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles Fitting Station.
1001 Half Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20024
Phone: (202) 662-4477

Hoffman Estates Police Department (HEPD)

Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Location: Stationary sites at police station and Hispanic Resource Center.
Mobile site (monthly, March-October) at local Babies “R” Us.

Operational Days/Hours: At HEPD, drop-in or appointment 24 hours/7 days per week; by appointment only at Hispanic Resource Center; and drop-in during set hours at monthly mobile site.

Sponsoring Organization(s): HEPD

Established: Inspections at police stations, 1993; inspections at mobile sites, 1995.

Funding Sources: In-kind from HEPD for salaries; in-kind from fire department for salaries; civic and business donations; public donations; and grant funds from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Annual Budget: $78,000 (includes police technician salaries, authorized overtime, child safety seats, equipment and educational materials)

Staffing: Certified CPS Technicians from police and fire departments during regular duty hours, and volunteers for non-inspection tasks. CPS technicians from police and fire departments are authorized overtime for mobile inspections.

Client Population Targeted: Open to all, with special outreach to Hispanic community.

Volume: 800-1,000 seat inspections per year (includes about 500 per year at mobile sites).

Replacement Seats: Provided free or with requested donation for families in financial need; otherwise, referred to local retailer.

Data Collection: CPS checklist developed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); a computer database using an assigned case number allows HEPD to track the number of inspections conducted and replacement seats distributed.

Contact for More Information:
Hoffman Estates Police Department
1200 Gannon Drive
Hoffman Estates, Illinois 60195
Phone: (847) 781-2804

Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CHMC)

Cincinnati, Ohio

Location: Stationary; 36 fire and police stations in the greater Cincinnati area

Operational Days/Hours: varies by station; all by appointment

Sponsoring Organizations: CHMC, local fire/EMS departments, police departments and health agency

Established: 1998

Funding Sources: CHMC (start-up resources for child safety seats, training, education materials and technical assistance), Cincinnati Automobile Dealers Association, Ohio Office of Traffic Safety Grant and community resources

Annual Budget: Usually incorporated into regular operating budgets of each fire and police station (includes salaries for technicians). Budget procedures vary by municipality.

Staffing: Encourage at least two certified CPS technicians per department. Some departments require all full time personnel to be CPS certified. CPS inspections are part of on-duty assignment (no overtime pay). Volunteers may assist at special events but not at regular inspection sites.

Client Population Targeted: Open to all in community.

Volume: Approximately 3,000 child seats are inspected annually among all participating inspection stations.

Replacement Seats: Most stations provide replacement seats at cost or by requested donation, based on family’s ability to pay.

Data Collection: CPS inspection checklist, developed by CHMC, is used by all participating inspection stations. CHMC collects and maintains database used for media releases, in-house analysis and evaluation, and reports to funding organizations. Fire and police stations also distribute customer satisfaction cards to CPS clients, as well as random phone calls to CPS clients to determine service satisfaction and recall of installation skills. Customer satisfaction cards and data collected help maintain municipal funding for CPS program.

Contact for More Information:
CHMC, Trauma Services SEC-3
3333 Burnet Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45229
Phone: (513) 636-7865
Fax: (513) 636-3827

St. Mary’s Hospital for Children

Bayside (Queens), New York

Location: Stationary site at hospital, which is a skilled nursing facility/rehabilitation center for children; some CPS inspections conducted as home visits for children with special health care needs.

Operational Days/Hours: First & third Fridays, by appointment, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm; and Second Saturday, by appointment, 9:30 am – 12:00 pm. Home visits conducted for some children with special health care needs, as necessary.

Sponsoring Organization(s): St. Mary’s Hospital for Children and St. Mary’s Foundation for Children

Established: 2001

Funding Sources: Grants from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Commission; private foundation grant; in-kind contribution from sponsoring organizations for salaries of employee technicians; and public donations.

Annual Budget: Approximately $33,000 in grant funds are used for purchasing child safety seats,

special needs seats, supplies, educational materials and promotional items. There is no separate line

item in the sponsoring organizations’ budgets for operating the inspection station.

Staffing: 12 Certified CPS Technicians who are employees of the sponsoring organizations (3 of whom have been trained in the 2 day program for transporting children with special health care needs); no volunteers. Staff operates inspection station as part of regular duties.

Client Population Targeted: Children with special health care needs; general community also served.

Volume: Approximately 375 seats inspected in first year (2001-2002), which includes 50 special needs seats.

Replacement Seats: Regular child safety seats are provided free of charge to families in financial need (donations also accepted); special needs seats are provided through hospital loaner program for short-term use, and are usually paid for through client’s health insurance for long-term use.

Data Collection: SAFE KIDS BUCKLE UP Child Safety Seat Checklist; Palm Pilot & Seat Check Software. Data is used for reports to funding organizations, to keep track of child safety seats and special needs seats distributed, and for in-house analysis and evaluation purposes.

Contact for More Information:
St. Mary’s Foundation for Children
29-01 216th Street
Bayside, New York 11360
Phone: (718) 281-8890
Fax: (718) 423-6001

Seated for Life

El Paso, Texas

Location: Stationary; Alamo Auto Supply Parking Lot, Central El Paso.

Operational Days/Hours: First come/first serve basis. 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Special appointments are made for families with children who have special health care needs and these inspections are held at Thomason Hospital.

Sponsoring Organization(s): Thomason Hospital, Alamo Auto Supply, El Paso Police Department

Established: 1999

Funding Sources: Initial start-up funds from Texas Department of Transportation Highway Safety Grant. Thomason Hospital Trauma Services provides one certified CPS technician for each event, coordinates record keeping and support services. Alamo Auto Supply provides the location, storage for supplies and helps with advertising. El Paso Police Department provides officers who are certified CPS technicians.

Annual Budget: $100,000 that is primarily used for purchasing child safety seats, education materials and supplies. In-kind from Thomason Hospital for salary of CPS coordinator/certified CPS technician; and in-kind from police department for overtime costs for certified CPS technicians.

Staffing: Typically three certified CPS technicians during operational hours (pool of 12 available CPS technicians from police department) and volunteers for additional tasks; Alamo employee responsible for set-up and other site logistics.

Client Population Targeted: Low-income families – approximately 60 percent are Spanish speaking only.

Volume: Approximately 1,300 seats inspected per year.

Replacement Seats: Provided with requested donation; because the area serviced is predominantly low-income, nearly 20-25 seats are replaced per inspection day.

Data Collection: Data collection form modified (bi-lingual, English/Spanish) from sample checklists provided in NHTSA Standardized CPS Training Program Instructor’s Manual. Data used by doctors and researchers at Thomason Hospital and Texas Tech University’s Health Science Center for injury prevention research and to target prevention efforts in El Paso communities.

Contact for More Information:
Thomason Hospital Trauma Services
4815 Alameda Avenue
El Paso, Texas 79905
Phone: (915) 521-7556
Fax: (915) 532-7709

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