Indiana ranks eighth in the United States for highest infant mortality rate, something a group of local firefighters hope to change through a nationwide initiative.

Seymour firefighter Mark Gillaspy recently provided his fellow firefighters with Direct On-Scene Education, which is designed to help first responders recognize the signs of dangerous sleeping conditions for infants in the homes they visit.

“It’s not to get anybody in trouble but just to help the babies,” Gillaspy said during a recent class.

As part of the class, firefighters are given kits containing information, a baby sack and a baby book aimed at teaching parents about the dangers that might be present for children under the age of 1 in their homes.

Inspector James Murphy said he found the class educational.

“We go into a lot of houses with a lot of hazards,” he said.

While some causes of death are not preventable, such as sudden infant death syndrome, many others can be prevented.

Gillaspy, who traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to receive training to become a DOSE instructor, discussed the importance of firefighters noticing hazards that can cause sleep-related deaths from strangulation, asphyxiation, overheating or crushing by looking at the environment in which they sleep.

He said babies should always sleep in a crib, never in a bed or co-sleeping with parents, siblings or even other babies.

“You don’t know what you do when you sleep,” Gillaspy said, adding that it doesn’t take much weight to crush or asphyxiate a baby.

Gillaspy also said a baby’s crib should not contain anything other than a well-fitted mattress and fitted sheets, so there should not be any toys, bumper pads, stuffed animals or wedging cushions, as all of these can lead to strangulation and entrapment.

“Babies like to burrow into the corners of the crib, but without the muscles to free themselves, things like bumper pads can actually cause them to not be able to breath or free themselves from the corner,” Gillaspy said. “Babies don’t need pillows.”

The last sleeping hazard Gillapsy warned about was that babies should sleep flat on their backs with no structure, wedging or pillowing to hold them.

This is different than what many parents have been told in the past.

“Forty to 80 percent of baby deaths can be prevented if we just make sure the baby sleeps on their backs,” Gillaspy said.

There are factors that can increase the likelihood of SIDS occurring, including genetic factors, parents smoking and parents using drugs and alcohol, he said.

After taking the class, firefighters were encouraged to be on the lookout for hazards when they are in homes, for whatever reason.

If they spot any, there are to take note of it and notify a supervisor who can schedule a second visit with the family to talk about the hazards, explain the risks, make suggestions for changing it and present them with a baby safe sleep educational kit.

“We’re not there to tell people how to raise their children, and we don’t want people to take offense,” Gillaspy said. “We just want to help protect a child from a 100 percent preventable situation.”

The fire department also has access to free cribs to be made available after a free parental guidance class if people don’t have access to a crib.

The DOSE program was started in 2014 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The original class showed great improvements in the communities it was offered, as 553 kits and 15 cribs were distributed. Infant deaths dropped from seven to one in the first year of the program.

“We do pay attention in houses and the environments, so I think it’s a good thing if we can cut down even one infant death,” Seymour firefighter Clint Hackman said.

Gillaspy said he hopes the class can be expanded to include other first responders, including emergency medical personnel and police officers, perhaps through a partnership with Schneck Medical Center in Seymour.

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Infant safe sleeping environment keys

• No bumper pads or cushions
• No pillows
• No toys
• No co-sleeping with adults or children
• Tight-fitting bed sheets on mattresses fit for a crib
• Offer a pacifier
• No smoking
• Don’t overheat infant
• Use baby sacks instead of wrapping with blankets that can become loose

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For information about Direct On-Scene Education, visit doseprogram.com.

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