Blue Coyote Safety LLC

07/24/2023

Hello DMV neighbors,

It’s me you friendly neighborhood EMT, CPST and Dad. You May of noticed that I haven’t been posting or advertising in the recent months.

I unfortunately have been diagnosed with Cancer and have been focused on my health. I have been still able to do some Car Seat installation without any issues.

On August 3rd, I will be going in for a pretty large and complicated surgery to hopefully remove all the cancer. Post surgery I will be limited of movement and lifting for about a month…:… which means no car seat installations.

I will still be able to answer questions you all may have about Car Seat and installation, so feel free to drop a message or email.

Jacob Miller, Blue Coyote Safety

03/05/2023

Hello, I’m a local DMV dad, EMT and Child Passenger Seat Technician. I’ve started a Car Seat Safety Consulting Company:
Blue Coyote Safety LLC

My goal is to have children as safe as possible while in motor vehicles, and to give parents the confidence to know that there family is safe while traveling in a vehicle .

I’ve worked with first time parents who are stressed, anxious and don’t know what they are doing or where to start with the ABC’s of car seat safety and installation. I also worked with the long time parents who just want to make sure their children are as safe as possible. I have helped those parents with small details of car seat installation that they have forgotten or never learned.

I offer:

-Car Seat Safety and Installation Consultation. I come to you, which is great for busy parents who don’t have time. Each consultation take ~45minutes, but you save 20-60minutes of drive time

-Gift cards! What is better then giving assurance of safety to your loved ones or clients, and you save time not having to shop.

-Group Car Seat Safety and Consultation. Do you have a group of friend or neighbors that can all use a little extra safety advice? Save money when I come and do a group consultation.

-Free advice! I have taken a deep dive in car seat and car seat safety. If you have any questions from safety, placement, traveling with car seats, please feel free to contact me, I either know the answer or where to find it.

I follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, your vehicle and Car Seat manufacturers best practices with every consultation.

Please feel free to contact me on FB messenger or at BlueCoyoteSafety@gmail.com

02/03/2023

02/03/2023

Happy February,

This is your DMV dad, EMT and Child Passenger Seat Technician. Before becoming an EMT, CPST and starting Coyote Safety, I worked and managed bicycle shops in Arizona and the DMV from 1996-2019. I also did a stint as a Geologist for mining and remediation work and was both OSHA and MSHA manager for multiple projects in between 2004-2010……. I know a lot about helmet safety and helmet fit.

So, let's talk about bicycle helmet safety. I was going to wait until March to write this post… but the weather is still nice and I'm seeing a lot of families out and about on their bikes, scooters, and skates.

As an avid cyclist (who has even biked across the US) the biggest mistake I see with families is, parents not wearing their helmet when riding with their children. Our kids emulate us, we can make them wear helmets when they are little but what happens when they are older and not as supervised? If your kid sees you wearing a helmet as an adult, there is a great chance they will follow that lead and wear their helmet without supervision.

Proper Fit vs Best Fit, I will be using the CDC’s bike helmet safety guidelines in this discussion. The CDC guidelines follow proper fit, but unfortunately these guidelines won’t work for everybody. There are genetics, culture, religious and style reasons that we can not follow “Proper Fit”, and must work under “Best Fit”. Sikh’s have their Joora (top knot of hair), Black Americans have multiple hairstyles including braids and beads, that won’t work under “Proper Fit”. We are now seeing smaller up-start companies that are creating helmets for people that don’t fit in traditional helmets, but as of right now they are expensive and too few and far-between. If your bicycle helmet does not fit well using the “Proper Fit”, I would recommend going to your local bike shop and having somebody with experience “Best Fit” you to your helmet.

Right Size, Right Fit:
-Helmet sizes vary, make sure you get the right sized helmet. Measure your riders head (tape measure around the head just above their eyebrows and ears), or take them into your local bike shop to actually try on the helmet.
-Helmets should fit snugly without side to side and front to back movement. You also want to ask your rider how the helmet feels on their head. Some helmets come with different sized padding to make the helmet smaller or larger. If the helmet is uncomfortable, your rider will want to wear it less.
-The Helmet should sit right above the eyebrow. Any lower and we interfere with vision, and higher and we lose protection on the forehead
-Side straps should make a V at the riders right below the ear lobes
-Chin Straps are the hardest fit. You want to make sure the rider has room to move their mouth, but don't want it to loose that it can slip off during a crash. A good rule is two fingers between the strap and the riders chin

Is The Helmet Safe:
-Check for visual damage to the shell and foam. If there are any cracks in the foam of the helmet it should be replaced immediately. Any damage, dings to the shell or the foam should be investigated and likely replaced. If the helmet is missing any padding, straps, buckles or parts it should be replaced. If the foam is brittle, replace the helmet.
-Check your expiration sticker inside the helmet, a helmet should be replaced every 5 years. If there is no expiration sticker or it's faded, replace the helmet.
-Be over cautious with used helmets. I would not recommend using a helmet that you don't know the history of.
-Has the helmet been stored properly. Did you leave the helmet in the yard for a few weeks, you want to replace the helmet. Helmets should be safely stored inside.
-No paint, no harsh chemicals. Some people want to be unique, vinyl stickers are great, paints are not and can severely damage the foam of the helmet. If you are using more than water and dish detergent on your helmet to wash it then you should replace the helmet.
-Bicycle helmets are designed to be one crash and done. If your rider is in any crash or fall over 5mph, you should replace the helmets. Everytime the helmet absorbs energy from a fall or crash, it loses strength. What we want to make sure of is that if there is a crash or fall at 20mph that the helmet is absorbing as much energy as possible, keeping your rider safe.

Since there is no official helmet safety and fit certification that I am aware of, I’m unable to provide this service. If you know me or see me, I'm usually willing to take a look for free. I am also willing to point you in the right direction to a local bicycle shop that will help you with a fit and safety check.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me,

Jacob Miller, Blue Coyote Safety

01/24/2023

Car Seat are Complicated!

After 6 months I was finally able to get a very important resource for a CPST. The new 2023 LATCH manual. The 2021 manual has been completely unavailable for the last 6 month and I have looked everywhere.

What does a 300+ page Manuel with fine print and filled tables do for a CPST? It has the weird specifications for every car seat and vehicle sold in the US and how the interact. Car Seats are complicated and are supposed to fit most vehicles ok, and some times there are tricks to get a better and safer fit. It also explains a lot of questions about a specific car seat that a CPST. This book compiles common issues, and how to fix them that CPSTs have see in the field nation wide.

I know that I have had a few issues with a common convertible car seat (I will not share the brand or model, but I have installed 5 so far). I have had issues with it fitting in a few cars, some questions about recalls/ investigations and a lack of easy to decipher information in the owners manual (this is a pet peeve of mine, manuals should be able to be read and understood by any parents who buys one). The LATCH has 3 pages on the car seat and has helped answer most of the questions I have.

I am still a pretty new CPST, but I have had the pleasure to work at car seat events with veteran CPSTs who know the most of the tricks for different car seats and vehicles, I hope to be that CPST in a few years. Until then I will be referencing the LATCH manual along with the Car Seat Manual, vehicle manual and other resources with every car seat install.

The question you should ask as a parent/ caregiver “If a trained CPST needs to have a biyearly published 300+ page reference book to install some car seats, do you have ability to install your car seat as safe as possible without it?”

Every car seat should be checked by a certified CPS, whether you hire Blue Coyote Safety, or you go to your local governments CPST (I have a list of local government CPSTs, that I am always willing to share)

Jacob Miller, Blue Coyote Safety

01/20/2023

New Parent Mistakes

Hello from you local DMV dad, EMT and Child Passenger Seat Technician.

During my Car Seat Installation/ Safety Consultations I get a lot of soon to be parents, who are eager (and panicked) to learn everything there is about car seat safety. I also get the experienced parents who kid(s) are older and they have had years of experience installing car seats and boosters.

I also get the newborn/ infant parents. These are the parents that have a child that is a few months old, but they didn’t have time or didn’t realize how complicated car seats are…… no judgment because I was that parent in the beginning. Most hospitals don’t have a certified CPST to help teach the parents about car seats, a few birthing clinics will have somebody on their staff and a good doula will usually have some connections.

When I brought my son home he was three weeks old and 4lbs 1oz. His weight was our final hurdle to get him home. I had a used car seat I received from a friend that was about to expire in 6 months, and it was rated for 5lbs-32lbs. I was working full time, finishing paramedic school and was going to the NICU every night to spend a few hours with him.

The hospital wouldn’t let us leave with him in that car seat because of the weight rating, so I had run to a Walmart and learn with my feet to the fire. I then watched a dozen videos about how to install the seat. Great news I installed the seat correctly ( I didn’t know that at the time), the bad news is I didn’t install him into the car seat correctly. He was small which made him awkward with the straps and harnesses and he was fragile….. I was scared about hurting the little human that had spent 2 weeks on breathing treatments.

What I did right:
-Install the car seat base with less the 1”movement
-installed using the anchor only (I did think about installing both the anchors and the seatbelt….. I’m glad I didn’t)

What I did wrong:
-Chest Harness was too low, I was about an inch too low. You need the cheat harness to be ~armpit level
-His straps were to loose. They could easily be pinched together. I didn’t want to hurt him or restrict he’s breathing, what I don’t know is I was putting him in more danger by not having the straps tight enough.

We were luckily safe for the 1st year with no accidents.

Car Seat are more complicated than most people think. Sometimes reading the owners manual isn’t enough. Most hospitals don’t have the time or trained staff to help you safely put your child in the car seat.

If you are a parent or an expecting parent find a CPST to check your car seat and show you how to properly install the seat and properly place your child in seat.

Be safe out there,

Jacob Miller, Blue Coyote Safety LLC

01/04/2023

Hello, it’s your local dad, EMT and CPST. It never fails that when I start a car seat safety/ installation consultation I get “I’m so sorry the car seat is a mess” from the parent I’m helping with an older car seat. I want to reassure you all that I am completely fine with it and not judging it at all.

I’ll even air my dirty laundry….. or car seat. There are large patches of dried applesauce, and yogurt. We can see spots of dried milk/formula. When we explore the crevices we find, Goldfish, Bambas, Cheerios, french fries and a key to an apple keyboard!

Did you know that you can wash your car seat if you have time……which we all are very short off. I luckily needed to produce content, so I had an excuse to clean one of ours. In reality the only time you need to clean your car seat is if straps and buckles start to get sticky, start not working and become unsafe

Your owners manual (all owner’s manuals are available online) will have the manufacturer recommendations on how to properly clean your car seat. It’s very important to follow the instructions so you don’t damage any part of the car seat.

I cleaned our Grace 4ever convertible car seat. The most important rule of most manufacturers is no harsh cleaning chemicals, no bleach, no strong disinfectants, no purple wipes (medical people will understand that one). Most of the time you just need hot water and soap.

Graco allows you to wash all the padding in the washer on gentle and then hang dry. If you don’t have a washer a sponge or towel with hot water, a mild soap, and a little elbow grease get off most dried substances on the padding. Do not use your drier to dry, the heat can damage the foam material.

The webbing can not be submerged so a wipe down with a sponge and warm water did the trick. Any tricky spots you can use a mild soap. I wiped down the plastic body of the Graco car seat with warm water and then wiped it dry with a paper towel.

On a lot of car seats the buckle tends to get mucked up either gets hard to unbuckle or hard to actually buckle. Graco recommends soaking the buckle in a cup of warm, agitate it and press the buckle rapidly to dissolve or break up any material inside the mechanism. Then hang dry. Remember you can soak the buckle, but don’t submerge the buckle strap.

Every car seat manufacturer will have different ways to wash their car seat. Please follow your make/model specific cleaning instructions.

01/03/2023

New Price list for 2023.

01/01/2023

Happy 2023!!

What is my New Year Resolution? Personally it is try to find more time for my family and hobbies like cycling, and volunteering at my firehouse…… I know my officers would be a lot less stressed not sending me notes about getting my shifts done.

My New Year Resolution for Blue Coyote Safety is to help families be and feel more safe, without feeling judged. I know personally I have really worked on talking with safety to families with out sounding judgmental, and I still have work to do.
To often I see parents online talk down to other parents because they aren’t as being safe as they can……. Being a parent is hard and you can’t know everything, and as a human we can’t be 100% safe all the time, if you did want to be 100% safe, you would never get in your car.

I recently was part of a parenting post about traveling with a child in a car seat. The parent wanted to leave early morning around 3am so their child would have 4hrs of sleeping for the 6hr car ride. One parent went completely rude and brought up the 2hr car seat rule so they “Can’t” do that and need to have another plan. Then another parents brought up that driving late at night is dangerous and they weren’t being safe parents.

As a parent who has had done a couple 6hr drives, I drove purposefully so that my son would sleep through as much of the ride as possible. Have you driven in traffic with a child screaming for 2hrs, I have and it’s terrible and dangerous.

If you come and ask me at Blue Coyote Safety about driving at night or longer drives, I will share with you what the “Best Practices” are and ways to consider to be safe using “Good Practices”.

If you come and ask about an expired car seat or one that was in a crash and tell me that you can’t afford more. I will tell you that the “Best Practice” would be get a new car seat, but I would give you resources for “Good Practice” like going to a free car seat installation clinic, or help you try to find free resources for free car seats….. did you know that DC has a car seat voucher program.

There are reckless parents out there that carry their kids on their laps and don’t have a car seat because they don’t want to put their kids in it……. Those parents are judged by me.

But then their are those parents who don’t know how dangerous driving with an unrestrained child is or that they can’t afford a car seat or that the ride they were able to get doesn’t have a car seat, this are parents that I refuse to judge.
Parents that don’t have their child’s chest harness in the proper place, that is not judged, but I will give you the tools of Best Practice so you can be as safe as possible.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun 2023, and that you never have to see that outcome of the tools I share with you.

Jacob Miller, Blue Coyote Safety.

12/30/2022

Good morning from your local DMV dad, EMT and CPST. We are wrapping up the last days of 2022, and looking forward to what 2023 will bring. I know for me and the wife we’d just like a little bit more sleep.
Blue Coyote is 1 month old and I have to say we have had a good start, let’s look at the numbers:
8 clients
2 Gift Certificates
12 car seat installs
Not bad for having a $0 advertising budget!!
I have had a couple new parents, who
much like myself 16months ago were stressed, worried, in over their head and had no idea what they were doing. With the new parents there was a lot of reassurance, and regoing over steps in the car seat installation process…. Which I’m always happy and willing to do.
I also had a lot of veteran parent who have been there and done that. Most of them were 90-99% safe and know what they were doing, but I was able to give them little tools and information to make the car seats as safe as they could be by best practice standards. A lot of “Oh, I didn’t know that trick”
I wanted to have keep my pricing schedule as simple as possible, but I underestimated the amount of time I research and prep so I will have to change my prices a small amount.
$60 still for I car seat and vehicle in-person installation.
$1 per mile, outside the allowances 20miles driving distance from East Falls Church Metro
$10 for additional base, booster seat, or each additional car seat that is the same make and model (can be in the same or different vehicle)
$20 (this is the price change) for additional car seat that is different from the initial.

I’m looking forward to 2023, and seeing where I can grow Blue Coyote Safety. If anybody has any questions or comments please feel free to contact me directly.

Happy 2023!
Jacob Miller, Blue Coyote Safety

12/16/2022

Let’s take a minute and talk about safety outside of the cars and in our homes.

My wife calls my Capt. Safety sometimes…..a lot. I change out the batteries in the smoke detectors every New Years. When we decided that we were going to had a child, the first thing I did was get new fire extinguishers (one for every floor), get an emergency ladder for upstairs and wrote out an emergency evacuation plan.

I thought I was being as Fire safe as I could be, until last night when our smoke detectors went off with out any reason (they are interconnected). No smoke, no fire, but they wouldn’t turn off.

After we finally turned them all off, we noticed that one of them had actually caught on fire inside, some other had signs of over heating. That’s when I discovered that they all were made in 2010, and have a 10year expiration. We were 3 years past expiration. I was under the assumption, that because my wife bought this house newly renovated 8 years ago that the smoke detectors would only be 8 years old. I made an assumption, when I could do easily just checked the dates in 30 seconds when I changed the batteries.

Luckily most smoke detectors can be overnighted from Amazon. This morning when I woke up, we had 2 new carbon monoxide/ smoke detectors and 4 smoke detectors that worked with our system waiting on the porch.

I’m assuming the years of cooking smoke, dust and general ware from changes in humidity, temperature and sun light just wore out our detectors. I cracked a few of them open and there are a lot of dust bunnies and a lot of signs of overheating.

Long story short, when you change out your smoke detector batteries check their expiration dates, 30 seconds can save you and your home.

Be fire safe:
-Have 1 smoke detector on every floor, and one in every bedroom. Change their batteries and EXPIRATION DATE at least once a year.
Smoke detectors are available at hardware stores, big box stores and overnight from Amazon. If you can not afford a smoke detector most local jurisdictions have a program for free detectors.
-Have 1 fire extinguisher on every floor, and make sure they don’t expire and have them tested
-Have an emergency evacuation plan

12/09/2022

The most often question I receive from friends and strangers is:
"What is the difference between you and going down to the firehouse and getting my car seat installed for free?'

Blue Coyote Safety is a "concierge service". I come to you, on your time. When I show up to you, I have read your vehicle and car seat manuals and will have notes, I have checked for any recalls or investigations, and I have watched all the manufacturers install videos multiple times. Did you know your 2010 Santa Fe doesn't have a LATCH system in the middle seat in the back row? I will.
I won't just install your car seat, I work with you and teach you how to install your car seat with "Best Practices" from the manufacturer.... because I know you will eventually pull out the car seat to install into another family members car, or pull it out to wash it because somebody got sick. I customize my service to fit your needs.
I wish every parent would get their car seat checked with a Certified Passenger Seat Technician, and I understand not everyone will pay for my services. I have a large list of local free car seat installations and safety resources that I am always happy to give out for free.
Its not as easy as going down to the local fire house (a good chance they will turn you away), but I will gladly get you a link, email or phone number.
This is a passion project for me, its not about competing with the local fire/ sheriff/ safety departments its about making kids safe and giving care givers an "ease of mind" with their child in a vehicle.

Here's a small list of local car seat safety resources:
DC:
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/car-safety-seat-program
Virginia:
https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/child-passenger-safety/safety-seat-checks/
Arlington County, Va:
https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Departments/Police-Department/Child-Safety-Seat-Registration-Form
Falls Church City, Va:
https://www.fallschurchva.gov/422/Programs
City of Alexandria, Va:
https://www.findhelp.org/city-of-alexandria--alexandria-va--child-safety-seat-inspections---sheriff%27s-office/6331542131965952?postal=22301
Fairfax County, VA:
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/sheriff/community-free-child-safety-seat-inspections
Maryland:
https://health.maryland.gov/phpa/OEHFP/KISS/Pages/Home.aspx
Montgomery County, Md:
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcfrs-info/tips/parents/carseats.html
Prince Georges County, Md:
https://www.safekids.org/coalition/safe-kids-prince-georges-county

12/08/2022

After being a real business for 7 days, I did my first paid in-person car seat consultation this morning, and I have another one this weekend. On top of that I have already sold a few gift card. Things are going Blue.

What is the number one thing I can tell parents about car seat safety, other then hire my services. Read you car seat owners manual and read you cars owners manual Child Safety Seat Section.

Also don’t forget that I have $75 Gift Cards for $60 till January 1st. Give the gift of safety and ease of mind with Blue Coyote Safety Car Seat Consultation.

12/05/2022

I have received several great comments and suggestion from people, so now I am offering Gift Cards.
I will be running a promotion for the Holidays until January 1st buy a $75 value gift card for $60.

12/01/2022

Happy December 1st, can you wrap your head around the fact that 2022 is almost at an end. Today marks a big day for me and my start up company Blue Coyote Safety, starting today I can now start teaching families about how to properly install Child Passenger Seats and do safety checks.
This journey all started September 5, 2021 when I was parked in Sibley Hospital’s parking lot trying to install my sons car seat. After 15 days of being in the NICU the only thing preventing him from coming home was my installing the car seat. It was hot, I was tired and frustrated and I was watching dozens of YouTube videos about installing this car seat. I had nobody to tell me this was the proper way to install, I would have given the world for somebody to check over my work. The drive home with him I was white knuckling the steering wheel and driving under the speed limit.
All this lead my to taking the Child Passenger Seat Technician class, which lead me to making comments to a lot of friends and families pictures of their children in the car. Did you know that 8 out of 10 car seats are not properly placed in the car and the child isn’t placed properly in the car seat?
Hopefully I can help change that number, and help families feel reassured about having their children in the car.

Blue Coyote Services:

At home car seat installation class:
$60, 1 Seat/ 1 Car
+$10 each additional seat
+$10 each additional Car
I come to you and teach you how to properly install the safety seat into the car, how to properly place your child into the car seat, and other important safety tips for child passenger safety. (With in 20 mile radius of East Falls Church Metro, $20 for very addition 10 miles)

Online Car Seat Safety Check:
$30, 1 Seat/ 1 Car
+$10 each additional seat
+$10 each additional Car
We’ll meet over Zoom and I will look at your car seat installation and check if you have installed it properly and what you need to do to have it as safe as possible. I will go over how to properly place the child in the seat.

Emergency Car Seat Installation or Safety Check:
$132 1 car/ 1 seat in person
$60 1 car/ 1 seat online
I have been here!! This is for the preemie families that didn’t have time to get a proper install check. I will try to get to you within 4 hours or sooner and help you feel assured that your child is going home safely.

This is my part time job so I will be limiting my appointment to 5 In-person installs a week. Every install and safety check come with me checking for any safety recalls, and reading up on the car seat and car details.

Do to liability I will not be able to help on any cars older then 2003, I will not install any outdated or recalled equipment

Please feel free to contact my directly for any questions:

Jacob Miller CPST
Blue Coyote Safety Owner/ Operator

11/08/2022

Big things are happening this week for Blue Coyote Safety!!

1) I officially got my National CPST certification after having my Fairfax Certification for the past 4 months.
2) We have our official logo!!!

I am just two steps away from just giving advice to being able to teach people how to install their car seats safely and properly.