Health Officials: Sweltering heat can be deadly, especially inside cars
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- People across Wake County have been using Tuesday's temperatures to warn of the dangers that come with extreme heat.
Health officials are reminding parents there can be deadly consequences when leaving your children inside a locked car on day like today.
Wake County health officials say we should always-especially on hot days like today-- have our eyes peeled when walking through a parking lot or past parked cars, looking for children or pets that could be locked inside. They also say to call 911 the second we see someone in need.
The Wake County Health Department joined a national campaign and set out to prove how hot it can get inside a locked car. They baked s'mores inside a sedan where the temperature reached over 130 degrees inside.
At 104 degrees, a child's internal organs begin to shut down.
Last year, 30 children across the U.S. died after being left inside a hot car. Sand buckets representing each one of those children lined the Health Department's entrance as a solemn reminder of how preventable these deaths are.
Health officials suggest parents put something like a purse or one of your own shoes in the back seat so you'll always remember to look behind you before getting out of the car.
They warn parents should never take anything for granted since heat exhaustion can happen on cooler days as well.
"This can happen on a 70-degree day in the shade with a window cracked," said Suzanne LeDoyen, Wake County Human Services. "This does not have to be extreme temperatures for this to happen."
Instructors at Wake Tech Community College are showing students how to stay safe and healthy when the temperatures are working against you.
Students taking welding and plumbing classes this summer are learning how to stay safe when temperatures climb into dangerous territory and that includes drinking plenty of water the night before they plan to work outside.
"It don't start the day of," said Adam Harward, plumbing instructor at Wake Tech. "It starts really the night before when they're at home. When they come in they're hydrated and their bodies are ready to go to work."
Students also begin classes much earlier in the morning during the summer months to avoid working outside during the hottest hours of the day.
