MSP Iron River trooper honored for dedication to ensuring children ride safely in cars

Sgt. Christine Grabowski nominated Trooper Eric Farnsworth for the GTSAC award

LANSING – An 11-year veteran of the Michigan Department of State Police (MSP) was honored at the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission (GTSAC) annual awards luncheon on Wednesday, March 31 at the Kellogg Conference Center in East Lansing for his efforts to ensure children ride safely in passenger vehicles.


Each year the commission honors organizations, programs and individuals for outstanding contributions to traffic safety. The awards luncheon is part of the 15th Annual Michigan Traffic Safety Summit. Seven traffic safety and three long-term awards are being presented.


In 2002, Trooper Eric Farnsworth started a car seat program at the MSP Iron River Post by obtaining donations from local businesses and community organizations to purchase car seats. He discovered that many of the seats he checked were purchased at yard sales or thrift shops, or were hand-me-downs. Further, most of the car seats were incorrectly installed and some were even on recall lists. Farnsworth soon began a campaign to promote proper car seat use to parents in the western Upper Peninsula.


Farnsworth annually installs 40 car seats at the Iron River Post and assists other technicians at numerous car seat clinics throughout the year. He also makes presentations at local schools about seat belts, car seats and booster seats and promotes car seat use at local events. His dedication to ensuring children ride in vehicles safely is well known and local law enforcement regularly direct families in need of car seats to contact Farnsworth.


In 2009, he installed a new seat for a 14-month-old girl who was involved in a serious head-on crash with her mother the following day. Deputies attributed her survival to the proper installation of her car seat.


The GTSAC was formed in 2002 to serve as the state’s forum for identifying key traffic safety challenges and developing and implementing plans to address those issues. The GTSAC is comprised of representatives from: Community Health, Education, State, State Police, Transportation, Office of Services to the Aging, Office of Highway Safety Planning and the Office of the Governor. There are also three representatives from local government appointed by the Governor.

Child Passenger Safety Law Enforcement Course Announced

Child Passenger Safety Law Enforcement Awareness

Pilot Course

Gaylord, Michigan

The Marquette County Health Department in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Community Health and the Office of Highway Safety Planning is pleased to offer a special pilot class for Michigan law enforcement officers.


Class Details: Child Passenger Safety Law Enforcement Awareness Pilot Course
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010
Time: 12:00 - 4:00 pm
Place: Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) North Region Office, 1088 M-32, Gaylord, MI 49735
Cost: FREE


Please note that lunch will not be provided for this class. Participants should plan accordingly.

It is important to realize that children are passengers in motor vehicles every day. Many of these children are improperly restrained. Law enforcement personnel can help save the lives of these children in several ways:

1) By issuing citations or written warnings;
2) By providing CPS education and
3) By providing families with CPS resources.

Upon completion of this 4-hour training course, attendees will have a basic awareness of child passenger safety (CPS) and an understanding of their role in CPS. We expect attendees will have be better prepared to answer CPS questions and be able to identify basic car seat misuse. This course is not intended to make students “experts” or certified CPS technicians.

If your application is accepted, you will receive more detailed class information.

This pilot course is being held in Gaylord to facilitate enrollment by both Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Peninsula law enforcement officers. Enrollment is limited to 25 people. Please obtain an application by contacting:


Diane Curry, Upper Peninsula CPS Coordinator
Email: dcurry@mqtcty.org
Fax: 906-475-9312

Child Safety Seat Check Event Scheduled in Houghton

Trooper Mark Ealy at Classic Auto Collision in Marquette

A Child Passenger Safety Seat Check Event will be conducted on Saturday, February 13, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Houghton City Fire Hall in Houghton, Michigan. The event features certified child safety seat technicians who will inspect seats for recall, proper fit, seating position and other factors. In Michigan, the usage rate for child passenger safety seats is over 90%, yet the mis-use rate is at 77.8%, according to a 2009 Wayne State university study.

Sponsors for the check event include: Houghton City PD, Portage Health, the Office of Highway Safety Planning and the UP Child Passenger Safety Coalition.

Contact Ms. Judy Pruner at JAPruner@sbcglobal.net for more information.

Child Safety Seat Technician Class Coming Soon!

It's not too early to mark your calendars for the 32 hour Child Safety Seat Technician Class being held in Marquette on June 15-18, 2010. The national CPS curriculum was developed for law enforcement officers and child passenger safety advocates interested in becoming certified child passenger safety technicians.


The course involves lecture, indoor hands-on training, outdoor hands-on training, and a public car seat inspection. A variety of vehicles, child safety seats, safety belts, and other teaching tools are used in order to give students as much direct experience possible.


Further details will be provided as the date draws near, but for more information now, please contact Diane Curry, CPS Course Instructor at 906-315-2612 or DCurry@mqtcty.org.