Dana Lofgren has always wanted to help kids. He’s a firefighter in the Wareham Fire Department, he coaches Little League, and he recently became the only certified child passenger safety technician in town.

Lofgren said in the two months he’s been certified, he’s helped more than 30 people with everything from safety checks to installations of their car seats.

He said it’s something he’s always wanted to do, after he went on a call to a terrible accident many years ago, before he even worked at the Wareham Fire Department.

“The worst part of the job is dealing with injured kids,” he said.

After being approached by the Wareham Fire chiefs earlier this year, Lofgren attended Safekids certification classes in Bourne.

Safekids is a global organization dedicated to protecting children from unintentional injuries. One of their methods is offering a nationally standardized certification course for installing and performing safety checks on children’s car seats.

After getting certified, Lofgren is able show people how to install car seats, provide education on how to use the different seatbelt and latch systems, the correct placement of the harnesses, and how to adjust the seat as a child grows. He also performs safety checks on car seats that people bring in.

“We’re in a great location,” Lofgren said, noting that the fire station is right down the street from Tobey Hospital.

Because of this, he’s seen plenty of young, new parents who have never had to deal with car seats before. Lofgren said he's also had many grandparents stop by the station who haven't used car seats in decades, but now have grandchildren coming to visit.

Anyone interested in getting a seat inspection or help with installation should call ahead to the Wareham fire station to see when Lofgren is available.

He said anyone coming to the station should bring the seat manufacturer's manual and the car manual. He added it’s always better for parents to bring their child with them, too, if possible. He can then show parents how to adjust everything in the seat with the child in it. Lofgren said a car seat installation, and the education he provides with it, takes 20 to 30 minutes.

One of Lofgren’s favorite experiences from the past few months was when a mother came in with her premature baby and had Lofgren install a special premature seat in her car. She came back three weeks later to have him help her with the bigger seat, and said she’d be coming back again when her boy grows up a little more.

“The time it takes to make a kid safer is worth it to me,” Lofgren said.