Our Favorite Cause: ANSR (Ambulances Need Safety Regulations) For Kids

A Mothers Story…
“In 1971, I was in a car accident in which my children ages 3, 5 & 8 were injured. In the ambulance, an EMT held my youngest (with possible broken leg and internal injuries), a fireman held my oldest (cut with glass shards) and my middle child (bleeding and with possible internal injuries) was placed on a stretcher with me holding on to her. None of us wore safety restraints on that high speed ride to the emergency room. 38 years later, nothing has changed.”

There are still only 3 options available today for transporting a young child on an ambulance …

A parent is secured on the stretcher and holds the child
A single strap “secures” the child directly to the stretcher
If one is available and the child’s injuries can support its use, a car seat is strapped to the stretcher (even though manufacturers clearly stipulate this is not its intended use).

ANSR for Kids’ goal is to establish regulations that require each child be safely secured when transported by ambulance …because every child’s life is worth it

Are You Aware?

March 2003: 3-day-old baby survives an ambulance crash and was found on the ground in the dark. As a result of her brain injuries she will require skilled medical care for the rest of her life and will never attend school.

May 2004: An ambulance and a garbage truck collided in north Houston. An 8-month-old girl was being taken to a doctor’s appointment when the crash occurred. The little girl and paramedic were ejected from the vehicle. Both were transported to the Hospital in serious condition.

Dec 2008: 4-week-old seriously ill boy was being transported for treatment when the ambulance skidded and overturned. The baby was transported to the hospital where he was considered to be in critical condition.

In the US, approx 1.8 Million Children under 5 years old are transported by emergency vehicles each year
There are also approximately 5,000 ambulance and fire vehicle crashes/year
In a collision at 35mph, an unrestrained 15kg child is exposed to the same forces as in falling from a 4th story window
It is estimated that there are approx 4 child fatalities per year

It is unacceptable that in the US and in many other countries, there are no national requirements to safely restrain a child in an emergency vehicle

Child Passenger Safety and ANSR’s

New FAA Recommendations for Transport of Children on Planes

by Sandy Schnee

Reported on ABC News by Tanya Rivero, and in an article written by Lisa Stark and Jordyn Phelps in ABC World News with Dianne Sawyer. The current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policy, allows children under the age of two, to fly free, if seated on an adult’s lap; the adult is safely restrained, the child is not. As recently as March 2011, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP), changed many parameters for the safe transport of infants and children when it recommended new guidelines for age, weight...

Overweight Children are NOT Adequately Protected in Car Seats

by Sandy Schnee

For the past ten years, the news media has consistently focused our attention on the fact that obesity is on the rise; that it has become a major problem in the United States, and that childhood obesity, in particular, has put young children at-risk for a multitude of health-related issues. One surprising health-related issue stems from the fact that many infants and toddlers are being transported in car seats that are not safe for them to be riding in, and I am not referring to the improper installation of those seats. The problem I AM referring to is the fact that when car seats are crash-tested,...

A Public Meeting on Safe Transport for Kids on Ambulances

by Sandy Schnee

In the Federal Register, dated July 19, 2010, a notice and invitation was posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the Department of Transportation (NHTSA). This Thursday – August 5th – NHTSA will be hosting a Public Meeting to hear comments regarding the newly-submitted draft recommendations for the safe transport of children in emergency ground ambulances. What wonderful news! It’s about time that positive steps are finally being taken in the effort to establish consistent Federal guidelines for the safe transport of infants and children in emergency vehicles....

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