Safe Transport of Children

Example guidelines/protocols from state EMS offices & local EMS agencies.

(Last updated: August 14, 2023)

Child Passenger Safety and Occupation Protection Health Care Project (Maryland EMSC)

Presented on March 28, 2013

From the National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO)

Published March 8, 2017

The document is for the sole purpose of providing helpful information for EMS services on the products currently available in the US for transporting children in ground ambulances.

This document is NOT an endorsement of any product.

Version 2.2, October 2020

Tips for the safe transport of children.

Handouts & flyers created by EMSC State Partnership programs

In this National Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Board webinar, Oregon Fire Captain and CPS Instructor Scott Downing discusses child passenger safety in emergency vehicles. He covers these main topics:

- Identifying potential hazards
- Safety misconceptions
- Exploring considerations and recommendations for transport
- Applying the concept of "Good, Better, Best"
- Conversations to help guide your SOP's/SOG's

When embarking on a road trip to Disney World, it's a given that you would ensure young kids are securely seated in an appropriate car seat. It's equally crucial to acknowledge that ambulances are susceptible to accidents, putting passengers at risk of injury. Therefore, it's vital for all passengers to be properly restrained. Just as there are safety guidelines and standards for child restraint in standard passenger vehicles, similar guidelines exist for transporting pediatric patients in ambulances. Unfortunately, these guidelines aren't always well understood or followed. Join us as we continue the webinar series, Tools for EMS to Operationalize Evidence-Based Care with Dr. Kathleen Adelgais to discuss a new NEMSQA safety measure. She will shed light on why it's so important to ensure the proper restraint of pediatric patients and how to effectively measure this critical safety practice.

Hosted by NEMSQA; 1 hour CE available through Prodigy EMS.

Created by the Maryland EMSC Program, this one-page visual serves as a reminder on how to appropriately use 5-point harnesses for youth.