Fire captain demonstrates dangers of hot cars and shares tips after 2 hot-car deaths in Arizona last week
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - In July, two Arizona children under the age of three died after being left in hot cars.
So we stopped by Scottsdale Fire Department today to learn more about the risk associated with even mere seconds once the air conditioner is turned off.
Data from the National Safety Council shows that 45 children have died in Arizona after being left in hot cars in the past 24 years.
"One second is too long to leave your child in the car," said Scottsdale Fire Captain Dave Folio.
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"Children cannot regulate their heat. They heat up 3-5 times quicker than an adult," Folio said. "If they're in their child seat, they can't regulate that heat at all because now they're getting worked up, they're starting to cry, you've left them in the vehicle."
Scottsdale Fire Captain Dave Folio says these tragedies are preventable, but caretakers have to understand that it can happen to anyone.
To demonstrate just how quickly a car can heat up and affect even a grown adult, Captain Folio and I got into a car at the fire station with the windows cracked but no air conditioning.
The effects were immediate.
"Right now, like even just being in here, you're at, it shows 'Hot and Error' because that's over 104 already," Folio said.
After less than three minutes, the temperature reached an extreme level.
"Temperature wise we're at 172 degrees here," he said. "We've only been in here just going on three minutes and you can just feel the oxygen's being displaced."
And after another minute or so, the phone recording stopped.
"If you're saying that you don't think it will happen to you - shame on you"
"You've gotta do everything you can to minimize forgetting that you have that child for the day because like we've seen in these recent ones it's caregivers that have the child for the day, they're supposed to go drop them off at a care center - our phones just went off because the temperatures are so hot in here - so phones are shutting down. The monitor, you're up to 107 on the heart monitor so you've gone up twenty plus points on your heart monitor. So picture a kid in here. If you're saying that you don't think it will happen to you - shame on you - because it can happen to anybody," he said.
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We spent about seven minutes in the car and it really put into perspective how quickly things can become dire.
Captain Folio advises caretakers to leave an item in the back seat like a purse, briefcase, even one of the shoes you're wearing, to make sure you turn around to check the backseat once you park.
Because of the Good Samaritan law, Folio says bystanders should act if they see a child in a car.
Whether it's hot or cold outside, call 9-1-1 but be willing to break a window if temperatures are excessive.