General News
28 December, 2023
Don’t leave kids locked in cars this summer
Ambulance Victoria (AV) has warned the community to never leave kids or elderly people in cars during the peak summer heat. A total of 1240 calls were issued to paramedics to help people trapped in vehicles from December 1, 2022, to November 30...
Ambulance Victoria (AV) has warned the community to never leave kids or elderly people in cars during the peak summer heat.
A total of 1240 calls were issued to paramedics to help people trapped in vehicles from December 1, 2022, to November 30 2023, with 109 cases happening last month.
AV states temperatures inside vehicles can double within minutes leading to potential exposure to heat-related illnesses like cramping, exhaustion or heat stroke, which is fatal in up to 80 percent of cases.
Dangers are exacerbated for children, as AV explains, their body temperature can rise three to five times faster then adults.
AV Loddon area manager Mick Kinsella alerts people to avoid a potentially costly mistake.
“Too often our paramedics are responding throughout the summer months to a child left inside a vehicle, which is incredibly dangerous,” he said.
“We don’t want complacency to set in, so we’re asking parents and carers in Maryborough and across the state to always take their children and elderly people with them whenever they get out of the car.”
In the last 12 months, the Maryborough Fire Brigade have been reported to three separate instances of children being locked in vehicles at local supermarket car parks.
On each occasion, Maryborough Fire Brigade, police and AV paramedics attended to the call and were able to open the vehicles in all three situations, with each child being found in a safe condition.
Maryborough Fire Brigade Captain Darryl Wagstaff said these situations are very avoidable.
“Three instances is three too many — it is important that parents don’t leave childrens in cars because the temperature rises fairly quickly within a few minutes and potentially puts their health in danger,” he said.
“Even leaving windows down in the car doesn’t help the situation, as it only drops the temperature by a few degrees.
“If somebody comes across a child locked in a car, try to open the door yourself or find the parent, if you can’t, call Triple Zero (000) and report the emergency.”