Fire Department

As the summer travel season approaches, the City of Madison Fire Department is working with several partners to ensure it's a season of safety.

The Department holds monthly car seat checks at two of its fire stations, but tomorrow, there will be a special event focusing on older adults.

The MFD is hosting a CarFit event from 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday April 15, at Firehouse #7, 1810 McKenna Boulevard in conjunction with Southwest Madison Triad. Triad is an organization that promotes health and safety for older adults.

The program, developed by AARP and AAA, is designed to help mature drivers adapt to factors that affect their driving and make changes to their vehicle to make it "fit" better.

The free 'CarFit' program will offer a quick and comprehensive check on how well older drivers and their vehicles work together.

At the event, a trained team of CarFit volunteers, including occupational therapists from the Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association (WOTA), will walk drivers through a 12-point checklist.

The checklist activities help drivers make sure they have: a clear line of sight over the steering wheel; adequate space to their airbag/steering wheel; properly adjusted head restraints; proper positioning on gas and brake pedals; proper safety belt use and fit, and safe positioning of mirrors to minimize blind spots.

This free checkup takes about 20 minutes and provides an opportunity for drivers to ask questions and learn how to make their vehicles "fit" them in the best way possible, while ensuring that drivers stay healthy and continue to drive for as long as they safely can.

As an extra bonus, SafeKids of Dane County will have Child Passenger Safety technicians on hand to offer advice on how to make certain grandchildren are riding safely, and even check any car seats brought to the event.

Reservations for the event are encouraged and can be made by calling AARP toll-free at 1-866-448-3611, extension 6317.