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

little girl and nurse in ambulance.finalA 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 …

  1. A parent is secured on the stretcher and holds the child
  2. A single strap “secures” the child directly to the stretcher
  3. 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?

Pediatric Safety

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.

Pediatric Safety

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.

Pediatric Safety

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

Finally – Safe Transport for Kids in Ambulances…Thanks NHTSA!

Finally – Safe Transport for Kids in Ambulances…Thanks NHTSA!

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In 2008 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) convened a working group of representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Emergency Medical Services for Children, the American Ambulance Association, and other key organizations and started a project called “Solutions to Safely Transport Children in Emergency Vehicles”. Finally a long-standing problem was being recognized and addressed: “there are no Federal standards or standard protocols among EMS and child safety professionals in the U.S. for how best to transport children safely in ground ambulances from the... 

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Car Seat LATCH Rules to Change in 2014: Please Read This Today

Car Seat LATCH Rules to Change in 2014: Please Read This Today

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A new rule that goes into effect in 2014 will require car-seat makers to warn parents NOT to use the  Latch anchor system to install a car seat if the combined weight of the child and the seat is 65 pounds or higher. The LATCH anchors (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) were designed to make child seats easier to install and have been required in vehicles since 2001, but child-safety seat advocates say the strength of the anchors can’t be guaranteed because they don’t take into account the weight of the child seat, which typically weighs 15 to 33 lbs. In the June 6th USA Today,... 

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New Crash Test Dummy Will Keep Older Kids Safer in Cars

New Crash Test Dummy Will Keep Older Kids Safer in Cars

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There’s a new kid on the block at NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Last week NHTSA unveiled a new “10-year old child” crash test dummy – joining 12-month, 3-year and 6-year old siblings – for use in testing child restraint devices for older children weighing up to 80 pounds. This crash test advancement follows enhanced guidance on booster seat use with older children, issued last year by NHTSA and the American Academy of Pediatrics. As stated in their press release on February 21, 2012, NHTSA “recommends that children ride in a booster seat until they are big... 

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