Children rescued from hot car

The children, between the ages of four and eleven, were trapped in the bakkie, and it was only when the 11-year old started panicking that members of the public noticed what was going on, Kormorant reports.

They tried to explain to the 11-year old how to unlock the vehicle from the inside, but she couldn’t.

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A bystander managed to get a hold of the father who then gave them permission to break one of the back windows to get the children out.

The father had left his children in the care of a friend, and he was unaware that the friend would go shopping and leave his children trapped in a locked car. According to one of the security guards, the vehicle had been standing out in the sun for three to four hours.

Emergency services assessed the five children on the scene and they were found to be in good health.

It is extremely dangerous to leave a child or a pet in a hot car. The risk of excessive heat is water loss (dehydration) which can cause the impairment of body function and lead to heat stroke that can be life threatening.

Even with an outside temperature of 24 degrees, the temperature in a closed car can reach 38 degrees in as little as 10 minutes. In 30 minutes the temperature can be as high as 49 degrees.

In warmer weather an outside temperature of 38 degrees will lead to the inside of a car being 60 degrees with in 15 minutes.

Should you come across children or pets trapped in a locked, here is what you should do:

• Call for assistance.
• Act quickly.
• Move the child or pet to a cool place.
• Remove clothing.
• Help the body to cool down by placing moist, cool cloths on the body (in children the forehead and wrists).
• Fan the child or the pet.
• Replace lost fluids with water.

Signs of dehydration and heat stress in children

• The child has not urinated in eight hours or only has a few wet nappies.
• Dark colored urine.
• Cries but produces no tears.
• Has a sunken soft spot on the skull (fontanelle).
• The child is listless or lethargic.
• Profuse sweating.

Signs of dehydration and heat stress in pets

• Panting.
• Excessive drooling.
• Increased body temperature.
• Reddened gums.
• Production of only small amounts of urine or no urine.
• Rapid heart rate

Scourge of abandoned babies hits Pretoria

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