Paramedic takes the heat to warn others
HAVERFORD >> A paramedic with Narberth Ambulance and an ABC News reporter spent about an hour together inside a sweltering and cramped car in the parking lot of the Bon Air Fire Company in Haverford Township.
But it was for a good cause.
The ambulance company teamed up with the ABC’s “Good Morning America” to illustrate the dangers of leaving a small child inside a car.
Joe Yochim, a staff paramedic with Narberth Ambulance, agreed to do the segment with ABC reporter Gio Benitez.
When the segment began, Yochim and Benitez got inside the car and closed it up around 7:20 a.m. A camera was also inside the vehicle. Sensors were put on Benitez to keep track of his vital signs.
Over the next hour, they watched as the temperature rose on the two thermometers inside the car.
Since it was still early in the day, the outside temperature hadn’t hit 80 yet. But after one hour inside the car, both thermometers were registering at about 100 degrees.
At the end of the hour, both men drenched in sweat exited the car for a July 19 live segment on “Good Morning America.”
Yochim later said during an interview that it was more of a mental game to remain inside the car since he knew he could open the door anytime. But the longer he was inside, the harder it was to breathe.
“It got to the point where taking a deep breath I was just breathing in hot air,” Yochim said. “It was just uncomfortable; it was stuffy. There’s no way to describe it other than it felt like being in a hot shower. Sweat was just pouring down me.”
With the temperatures rising into the triple digits this weekend, he didn’t mind doing it if it can help remind people of the dangers of leaving children inside cars.
Even as a new father himself, Yochim said there are things he doesn’t know or might forget. So it’s important to remember not to leave a small child in the car.
“I don’t think people realize ... you get into a hot car, you turn the AC on, and it cools down in a couple of minutes. I don’t think people realize how hot it gets in there sitting out in the sun for a long time,” Yochim said.
According to Yochim, the danger to a small child that gets left inside a hot car is even higher than it is for an adult.
“I can’t tell my 5-monthold to drink a bottle of water when it’s been a couple of hours whereas you and I can,” Yochim said.
According to information provided by the Pennsylvania State Police, 21 children have died after being left inside cars this year in the United States.
Just in Pennsylvania since 1995, there have been 12 children that have died of heatstroke after being left inside cars.
A new law recently went into effect in Pennsylvania to protect good Samaritans who rescue children in hot cars. The law protects a person from liability related to damage to a car or its contents if they believe a child is in imminent danger of suffering harm if not immediately removed from the vehicle. The person must make a reasonable effort to locate the vehicle’s owner, use no more force than is necessary to enter the vehicle, and remain at the scene until emergency responders arrive.
Chris Flanagan, chief of operations at Narberth Ambulance, said with the heat overtaking the area this weekend it’s well worth the time for them to help with these kinds of public service reminders.
“We have to be extra vigilant,” he said.
He added that people should not always trust leaving the car idling with the air conditioner turned on when people make those quick stops for coffee. That’s why they agreed to do the TV show to help illustrate how quickly it can become life-threatening for a child.
Another safety tip Flanagan mentioned is that sometimes kids will go inside cars to play and might get themselves locked in without planning to do so. So it’s crucial to lock car doors and to teach them to hit the horn if they were to lock themselves inside.
Flanagan also pointed out that small children have a much more difficult time with the heat than adults do.
“The child’s mechanism to cool themselves is greatly reduced as compared to an adult,” Flanagan said.
Albert Davey, deputy chief for Narberth Ambulance, said they did a similar segment with “Good Morning America” about four years ago. When they were contacted earlier this week about doing it again, they jumped at the opportunity. Another segment was planned for later Friday on the nightly news.
Along with the TV and ambulance crews that were on hand for the morning news segment, representatives from a private company were also there to demonstrate their product.
Fadi Shamma, who cofounded a company called Sense A Life with his business partner Jim Friedman, showed his company’s product that can warn drivers that a child is inside the car.
The product, Sense A Life, has a pad that sits on the child’s seat and requires 1.5 pounds of pressure for it to be active. When the driver side door is opened, a sensor goes off as a warning that a child is in the car seat.
“Once the door opens to the millimeter it sends out a loud vocal alert that is hard to miss, and it makes you think twice,” Shamma said.
More information on the Sense A Life can be found at www.sensealife. com.