Hot Car Warning To Parents
The Sunday Age
Sunday January 6, 2008
PARENTS have been warned not to leave their children in hot cars after at least 14 youngsters had to be rescued by paramedics in Victoria last week.
Melbourne will cool today to the mid-20s but the reprieve from the scorching heat will only be temporary, with the city heating up again to the mid-30s by Wednesday.Metropolitan Ambulance Service chief executive officer Greg Sassella said of about 220 heat-related emergencies paramedics had attended in the last two months, about 160 involved children left in cars."We are fed up with parents leaving their children in these private death traps who, along with old people, cannot cope with the heat like a fit young person," Mr Sassella said. Health Minister Daniel Andrews warned yesterday that temperatures in cars could be up to 30 degrees higher than outside. "Children are vulnerable to heat and can quickly dehydrate, lapse into unconsciousness and in some tragic cases die," he said. A thermometer placed in a car yesterday by the minister had a reading of 65 degrees at 11.30am, while the outside temperature was 33 degrees.Metropolitan Ambulance Service paramedics have handled 67 heat-related incidents in the past week, including 12 children left unattended in cars. People who leave a child unattended in a car for an unreasonable time can face fines of up to $1600 or imprisonment for three months. -- with AAPMore advice about keeping children safe from heat is available at www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
© 2008 The Sunday Age
