I’d like to introduce to you, Perry Blackburn, he’s the Administrative Officer & Office Manager at the Ware County EMS. Together with Perry & yourWARELOCAL.com we bring to our community the Weather & Emergency ALERTS website, which features any information we get ahead of time through the official agencies such as NOAA Federal out of Jacksonville.
Perry Blackburn, Ware County EMS, got together with Derek Harrison, serva website design at the time of all the fires back in 2007, because we found that there where a number of ‘speculations, rumors, & exaggerations’ flying around at that time as to what was happening with the fire situation. So with a website ‘straight from the horses mouth’ so to speak, our community would be kept informed with the facts and not hearsay.
So it’s with pleasure to post one of Perry’s articles for our community safety.
Heat Stroke Safety Tips for parents & Caregivers
Kids in hot cars are a deadly combination. Whether intentional or accidental, these deaths are preventable, which makes it all the more tragic. Here are some helpful tips to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.
Remember:
- Never leave a child alone in a parked car, even with the windows rolled down, or air conditioning on. Children’s body temperature can heat up 3 to 5 times faster than adults. A core temperature of 107 is lethal.
- Always look in both the front and back of the vehicle before locking the door and walking way.
- Heatstroke can occur in temperatures as low as 57 degrees. On an 80-degree day, temperatures inside a vehicle can reach deadly levels in just 10 minutes.
- Never let children play in an unattended vehicle. Teach them a vehicle is not a play area.
- Always lock your vehicle doors and trunk and keep the keys out of a child’s reach. If a child is missing, quickly check all vehicles, including the trunk.
- Is dropping a child off not part of your normal routine? Come up with some ways to remind yourself that the child is in the car.
- Place an item that you keep on you, like a briefcase or purse, in the back seat next to the car seat, so that you’ll always check the back seat before you leave the car.
- Call your spouse after you drop the child off to make sure you didn’t forget.
- Have daycare call you if your child doesn’t show up.
- Write a note and place it on the dashboard of the car. Or set a reminder on your cell phone or calendar. You can also download the Baby Reminder App for iPhones.
If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle:
- Always make sure the child is okay and responsive. If not, call 911 immediately.
- If the child appears okay, you should attempt to locate the parents; or have the facility’s security or management page the car owner over the PA system.
- If the child is not responsive and appears in great distress, attempt to get into the car to assist the child, even if that means breaking a window.
Remember: kids in hot cars are a deadly combination. Don’t take the chance.
Look before you lock.
Perry Blackburn, Paramedic
Administrative Officer/Office Manager
Ware County EMS