According to the Cribs for Kids website, more than 3,500 infants die in their sleep because of sudden infant death syndrome, which is often caused by suffocation and asphyxia among other things. The organization, which was founded in 1998, has been working to lower this number. Recently, first responders in Washington paired with Cribs for Kids to help. The first responders are calling their initiative "Cops n Cribs" for law enforcement officials and "Code Red" for firefighters.
Often, SIDS is the result of improper sleeping arrangements for infants. This may be because families do not have a crib or have it set up incorrectly, which can present a potential danger to a sleeping infant.
"Firefighters are going in, they're re-doing cribs. For low-income families who don't have a crib or the ability to buy a crib, they're getting portable pack 'n plays," Deborah Robinson, infant death investigation specialist, told NBC.
The first responders have also been trained to do checks on families with infants and inspect the sleeping quarters. The Washington Department of Health and Cribs for Kids hope this initiative will lower infant mortality in the region and encourage families to arrange safer sleeping areas for babies.