Paramedics are urging the community not to leave children, pets or older people unattended in vehicles as temperatures continue to soar following a warm weekend.
Ambulance Victoria (AV) responded to 11 cases of children locked in cars on 24 January, including one case in the Barwon South West region.
AV Emergency management director Dale Armstrong said one call-out to a child locked in a car on a day like Saturday, where temperatures rose above 35 degrees across many parts of the state, was “too many”.
“We encourage parents and carers to make sure keys are kept with them and to be alert while loading family members in and out of vehicles,” he said.
“It is particularly dangerous for children to be left inside vehicles, as a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s.
“It is never safe to leave children or older people unattended in vehicles, in any weather, but particularly when we know that our state is facing days of heatwave conditions.
“The temperature inside a vehicle can double and become deadly within minutes…and if anyone accidentally gets locked inside a vehicle, call Triple Zero 000 immediately.
“The message is simple – it is never safe to leave children in cars unattended, and we know that accidents can happen, and often this is not intentional, but it is still potentially fatal.”
Temperatures are expected to rise to 44 degrees across Greater Geelong on 27 January, with the remainder of the week recording above 20-degree temperatures, according to The Bureau of Meteorology.
