Henderson kicks off summer safety program for children in cars

By Cristina Chang

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 | 2 a.m.

It is a scene firefighter Dan Pentowski has seen all too often.

It’s summertime and parents step into the convenience or grocery store. Believing the stop would only take a moment, they leave their children in the car. By the time they return, they can find their children sweating profusely and having difficulty breathing. And several times, parents have accidentally locked themselves outside the car. At this point, all they can do is watch the minutes tick by before firefighters arrive and rescue their child.

That’s why Pentowski is a believer in the “Check Your Seats in the Heat … Because Heat Kills” campaign, which is now in its second year in Henderson.

At a news conference Tuesday kicking off the campaign, Henderson City Councilwoman Gerri Schroder spoke first, stressing the importance of not leaving anyone in a car without air conditioning.

“Southern Nevada is one of the hottest regions in the United States, and that’s evident today with the hottest day of the year,” she said.

She urges motorists to check the back seat before they leave and to look out for other children, seniors and pets that may be left in a hot car.

Thirty-three children in the United States died last year inside a hot vehicle in completely preventable tragedies, said Pentowski, president of Henderson Professional Firefighters. Half of these situations occur when the parents forgot they left their child in their cars, where heat can rise like a “greenhouse,” he added.

One habit parents can form is to leave their cellphone or purse in the back seat, said Doc Halliday, president of the Henderson Police Officers’ Association. That way, they’ll start looking there before they leave the car.

Sometimes children can play in the car or fall asleep in it, even if it is locked in the garage, he said. If your child is missing, the first place to check is the car, he added.

“First and foremost, recognize that (a child left in a car during the summer) is an emergency,” Pentowski said. “All too often we’re busy in our days that we may glance at something and see that it’s out of place but not take any action.”

People who see this happening should first try to get the child out of the vehicle, he said. If the child appears sick and hot to the touch, they should call 911, he added.

“Every second is a crucial amount of time in these emergencies.”

On Saturdays, police and fire officers will be at Smith’s Food and Drug stores in Henderson to raise awareness for the campaign, Halliday said. Officers will also be passing out red ribbons for shoppers to tie around their keychains to remember to not leave their children inside vehicles.

Schroder also cautioned motorists to watch out for seniors who may be more vulnerable to the heat.

Your elderly parents may be think they are OK if you make a quick trip inside to the 7-Eleven, she said, but temperatures are simply too high to be safe.