(Hard facts on Heatstroke)…They were released by the El Centro Fire Department.
The release was prompted by the rescue this week of a 7 month old baby, found locked in a vehicle, with the windows rolled up, in the Wal Mart parking lot. They say leaving a child alone in a vehicle can lead to serious injury or even death from heatstroke, even in cooler temperatures. They say on average, every 10 days a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle. In more than half of those, the caregiver forgot the child was in the car. A car can heat up 19 degrees in just ten minutes. In addition, cracking a window does not help. Young children are particularly at risk, as their body’s heat up three times faster than an adult’s. This can be avoided by never leaving a child in a vehicle, not even for a minute. If you see a child alone in a vehicle, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations.
