Leaving kids in the car during the summer heat can be dangerous to their health.
/ KTVO's Kate Allt
OTTUMWA, IOWA -- As temperatures near that 100 degree mark once again, it's important to be aware of the heat and how it can affect a person, especially children, and especially children left in the car.
No parent thinks it can happen until it happens to them. Truth is, on a busy day packed with errands, it's easy to forget, or easy to rationalize if you will only be away from the car for a minute or two. But when temperatures are in the 90s outside, it can get up to 130 degrees inside a car that is not running and with no windows cracked.
Thankfully, it's not common, but when firefighters do get a call with someone in extreme heat for a period of time, the priority is to get them out and get them rehydrated.
"Instead of trying to unlock the door, which would take a long time, we're going to do the quickest to get in there and then it's just especially cooling the person down and putting fluids in them," said Mike Craff of the Ottumwa Fire Department. "Hopefully by that time, the Armex is there and we work really well with them where they can get IVs and fluids into your bloodstream which helps you a lot quicker than drinking fluids."
Heat stroke and heat exhaustion can affect anyone, but small children and the elderly are most susceptible.
"An adult, the middle age, anywhere from 18-60 can handle a lot better than the elderly or a child just because your vitals are so much larger and you have more fluid in your body... where the older people, and especially children, just can't handle the heat," Craff said.
Sometimes the biggest downfall is not realizing how hot it actually is, especially when the morning starts off cooler, or realizing how quickly the humidity can get to you. The best thing to do to avoid an emergency situation is take your time, be aware and double-check everything when you leave your car.
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