Worried parents can rest assured with Cranberry Township EMS’s Safe Landings program that teaches infant CPR, proper car seat installation, home safety and safe sleep education.

New or expecting parents can have a certified technician with Cranberry EMS come into their home for a detailed training session to prepare them for known safety hazards, said Ted Fessides, Cranberry EMS deputy chief of administration.

“What’s nice is currently you can go to the hospital and take a CPR class, then get your car seat checked and get information about home safety. But our program will come to you in the comfort of your own home to be able to get this done all at once,” Fessides said.

The Safe Landings class can accommodate up to 12 people, so parents are encouraged to invite other family or friends who may be watching the baby to learn along with them. It takes about four hours to get through all of training.

Brand new parents or those who have had kids before but need to brush up on current parenting practices are welcome to set up a session.

The cost for the class is $150, but those with Highmark Health insurance can get reimbursed, Fessides said. It is open to residents in Butler, Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties. Fessides said they’ve begun working with other EMS services to provide the program in other areas.

Cranberry Township EMS has three staff members who teach Safe Landings who are CPR instructors and car seat safety technicians.

Through Safe Landings, parents will learn and become certified in infant CPR. Technicians will check car seats to ensure they’re installed properly for the vehicle.

For the home safety check, the technicians go room to room through the house to point out potential issues and solutions. Common problems are unsecured flat screen TVs, unsecured furniture and toxic house plants, Fessides said.

They also teamed up with Cribs for Kids National Infant Sleep Safe Initiative, a Pittsburgh-based group created to reduce infant sleep-related deaths, to provide safe sleep education by instructing parents on crib safety and proper sleeping positions.

They follow American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that say babies sleep in the same room as parents, but on a separate surface.

Cranberry Township EMS has visited more than two dozen homes with its Safe Landings program since it began offering it in October 2013, Fessides said. One them was Cranberry resident Dan LaVallee and his wife, Terrina, last June.

Dan LaVallee said they were having their first child and wanted to be as prepared as they could be. He said one of the best things was having his parents attend and having Fessides walk them through everything step by step.

“I don’t feel like I ever could’ve watched a video and learned,” LaVallee said. “He spent a lot of time answering our questions. He literally walked around our apartment. He walked through every room and had a checklist of things that might present a challenge for us ... I thought it was wonderful.”

LaVallee said they’ve recommended friends who are expecting to the program that helped prepare them for parenthood.

Those interested in setting up a Safe Landings session in their home should contact Fessides at least a week before they would like to meet. Fessides said they work with the family’s schedules so classes can be scheduled any time throughout the week.

Fessides can be reached at tfessides@cranberryambulance.org or 724-776-4480, Ext. 1902.