Not Even for a Minute: Don't Leave Your Kids in Hot Car

From Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services

Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services and Safe Kids Gwinnett are teaming up to prevent child heatstroke deaths in hot cars. The key theme is – knowing where children are at all times. Emergency services professionals want to remind parents and caregivers to never leave a child alone in a car.

Many people are shocked to learn how hot the inside of a car can actually get. On an 80 degree day, the temperature inside of a car can rise as much as 20 degrees in as little as 10 minutes. The temperature will continue to get hotter and cracking the window doesn’t help.

Heatstroke sets in when the body is unable to cool itself quickly enough. A child’s body heats up three to five times faster than adults, making them more susceptible to heatstroke. When a child’s internal temperature reaches 104 degrees, major organs begin to shut down, and when that temperature reaches 107 degrees, the child can die.

To help prevent these tragedies, Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services and Safe Kids Gwinnett are helping to promote the Never Leave Your Child Alone in a Car (NLYCAC). For additional information on NLYCAC, visit the Safe Kids Worldwide website at www.safekids.org/heatstroke.

Together we can reduce the number of deaths and near misses by remembering to ACT:

• A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. Be sure to keep your car doors closed and locked when you’re not in it, so kids don’t get in on their own.
• C: Create reminders by putting something in the backseat of your car next to your child such as a brief case, purse or cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine. Caregivers traveling with groups of children should have a checklist to follow that includes a final check of the vehicle for any lone passengers. It’s also a good idea to have a second person check the vehicle after the primary check and conduct a headcount to make sure the group is all accounted for.
• T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 9-1-1. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

For additional information on preventing child heatstroke emergencies, please visit the Safe Kids Worldwide website at www.safekids.org/poolsafety. You may also contact the Gwinnett Fire Community Risk Reduction Division at 678.518.4845 or e-mail [email protected].