Heatstroke- An Unfortunate And Easily Preventable Tragedy by Sergeant Menachem Green, Orange County Sheriff’s Office Agency
Summer is upon us, and while summer often is synonymous with afternoon thunderstorms, vacation, and spending time with family, we must also recognize a very dangerous avoidable situation associated with summer. This avoidable danger is heatstroke, and unfortunately every year we find we are losing our precious children because of it. Heatstroke can occur when children are left in a non-running vehicle for even a short amount of time. These tragedies are occurring both when children are left intentionally and accidentally behind in cars. The consequences of heatstroke range across the spectrum from redness and vomiting to ultimately seizures and death. These tragedies are preventable and we must make sure we are doing everything we can to keep our children safe. The below tip, as well as other safety tips regarding children and cars, can be found at safekids.org. A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute.
Make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not inside of it, so kids can’t enter on their own. C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your children such as a backpack, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine. T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel wants you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life. By following these simple tips we can ensure we keep our kids safe this summer from a very preventable tragedy. Also, please do not forget these same safety tips applies to our precious pets as well. Thank you, Sergeant Menachem Green
