Victoria’s paramedics have urged the community to avoid leaving children in hot cars and to prepare for heatwaves this summer as there have already been more than 380 callouts to people locked in cars since the end of September.
Minister for Health, Martin Foley joined the paramedics to launch the Never Leave Kids in Cars and Survive the Heat campaigns, which warned parents about the dangers of leaving children in cars and encouraged them to develop routines so they automatically checked the back seat before they locked up.
“A car’s temperature can more than double within minutes and a child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s, meaning they are at greater risk of life-threatening heatstroke, dehydration and organ damage when left in the car,” Mr Foley said.
“In 2020, paramedics responded to 1,410 callouts to people locked in vehicles – 144 of them last month,” he said.
“The majority of these incidents shockingly involve children and babies aged up to three.”
Mr Foley also encouraged people to recognise the signs of heatstroke, a serious illness which required immediate medical attention.
“Extreme heat kills more Victorians than any natural disaster,” the Minister said.
“Those at highest risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke are people over 65, anyone with a pre-existing medical condition, pregnant women, those breastfeeding and children aged up to five,” he said.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Lisa Neville also issued a summertime warning for people to avoid complacency around water following the drowning of four people in a single day earlier this month (13 January).
Ms Neville said Victoria was experiencing one of its worst years for drownings, with 40 drowning deaths since 1 July last year.
“This is 13 more drowning deaths than the five-year average, 16 more than the 10-year average and the highest number of drowning incidents for the period 1 July 2020 – 13 January since 2004-2005,” Ms Neville said.
“These tragic statistics are a stark reminder to take care around water this summer – follow the warnings, swim between the flags at patrolled times, supervise children, never swim alone and don’t drink and swim,” she said.
