Hot weather contributes to more than 30 child deaths across the country each year. These unfortunate fatalities are primarily caused by leaving kids in a vehicle unattended.
Safe Kids Logan County works to educate parents and caregivers to avoid these tragedies with tips to prevent heat strokes in children.
“As these tragedies continue to occur, Safe Kids Logan County is intensifying our efforts to get the message out that the inside of a vehicle is an extremely dangerous place for a child alone in hot weather,” said Safe Kids Logan County Coordinator Christie Barns.
Barns says children’s bodies heat up three to five times faster than adults, making them more vulnerable to heat stroke.
“These heartbreaking incidents can happen to anyone, and public education is vital to combating these preventable occurrences,” said Barns.
Safe Kids Logan County says by remembering to ACT, the number of child deaths and heat strokes can be cut down significantly.
Avoid heat stroke-related injury and death by:
-Never leaving your child alone in the car, even for a minute.
-Consistently locking unattended vehicle doors and trunks.
Create reminders and habits that give you and your child’s caregiver a safety net:
-Establish a peace-of-mind plan. When you drop off your child, make a habit of
calling or texting all other caregivers, so all of you know where your child is at all
times.
-Place a purse, briefcase, gym bag, cell phone or an item that is needed at your
next stop in a back seat.
-Set the alarm on your cell phone or computer calendar as a reminder to drop your
child off at childcare.
Take action if you see an unattended child in a vehicle:
-Dial 9-1-1 immediately and follow the instructions that emergency personnel
provide–they are trained to determine if a child is in danger.
For more information on preventing child heat stroke deaths, go to www.ggweather.com/heat or www.safekids.org/heatstroke.
