By Bonny Burrows
It’s a list no area wants to be on.
But the State Government has revealed Pakenham is among the state’s worst areas for call outs for children locked in vehicles.
In the 12 months ending 31 August 2017, paramedics were called to 38 reports of people locked in vehicles within the Pakenham postcode, and Ambulance Victoria has had enough.
Following the 15 January release of the statistics as part of a state-wide Never Leave Kids in Cars campaign, Ambulance Victoria has issued the warning that “it’s never safe to leave anyone in a car”.
It is estimated that approximately 95.5 per cent of trapped persons are children aged 13 years and under and Ambulance Victoria’s acting group manager for Metro East, Steve Doyle said quick trip into the shops could be disastrous.
“Even if you think you will just be a few minutes, there’s always a chance you can be delayed and that can put your child in danger,” Mr Doyle said.
“Children are particularly at risk as they can’t regulate their body temperature as easily as adults.
“Children can experience heatstroke and dehydration.”
While many of the cases paramedics were called to were accidents where the child and keys are locked in the car, Mr Doyle said some sadly appeared to be deliberate.
“Given how much education there is now about the dangers it is disappointing that people still decide to take the risk,” he said.
Testing by Ambulance Victoria reveals that on a 29 degree day the temperature inside a car can reach 44 degrees Celsius within 10 minutes and can climb to 60 degrees within 20 minutes.
“Twenty minutes passes by faster than people think and can have disastrous consequences,” Mr Doyle said.
Sadly, three children in Victoria have died in hot cars in the last few years and paramedics are praying another child won’t suffer the same fate.
“Our paramedics are also mothers and fathers. No paramedic wants to go to work and treat a sick young child who has been locked in a car,” Mr Doyle said.
The top ten postcodes for ambulance call outs were Werribee with 43, Narre Warren with 42, Tarneit with 41, Pakenham with 38, Frankston South with 34, Roxburgh Pak with 33, Cranbourne with 31, Ballarat with 28, Melton with 26 and Preston with 23.
The State Government has reminded residents it is against the law to leave children unattended in Victoria, and said offenders faced fines of up to $3900 or six months jail if found guilty.
