PRINCETON, Ind. — Police and firefighters in Princeton went to the limit on Wednesday to make a point to be safe during these days of extremely hot temperatures.
The Princeton chief of police, the chief of the Princeton Fire Territory, and one of his firefighters lasted 13 minutes inside of a hot car. During their time in the car, they posted a video on Facebook outlining the dangers of leaving children in a hot car.
“Heat stroke begins when the core body temperature reaches 104 degrees or goes north of that,” said Princeton Police Chief Derek Medler. “A child can die if their core body temperature reaches 107 degrees.”
Medler added that in the United States last year 23 children died as a result of being left in a hot car. In 2018 a record 53 children died.
Medler added that if you come across a child left in a hot car with no parent in sight, you are able to break the window of a vehicle in order to get the child out to cool off. But, he adds that you need to call 911 as you are doing so and do not leave the scene until police or first responders get there.
During the 13 minutes that three men spent in one of their Princeton Fire Territory pick-up trucks, the trio kept tabs on how fast the temperature was rising inside. When all was said and done, drenched in sweat and unable to take any more, the car’s interior temperature rose from 99 degrees, with the windows down, to 110 degrees with the windows up.
They said that can easily cause heat stroke in anyone, especially a child.
