(MIAMI, July 31, 2014) – In an effort to raise awareness and educate the community about the dangers of leaving children in hot vehicles on National Heatstroke Prevention Day, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department hosted a one-of-a-kind vehicular heatstroke scenario demonstration.

The demonstration conducted by MDFR's Technical Rescue Team simulated a vehicle-extrication and resuscitation of a "child", a real-life size pediatric simulator courtesy of Gaumard Scientific.  "Leaving children unattended inside a vehicle is not only dangerous, it can be lethal,” said MDFR's Medical Director Dr. Marc Grossman. “Small children are especially vulnerable to extreme temperatures; the internal temperature of a child can rise up to five times faster than an adult's."

So far in 2014, there have been 13 confirmed heatstroke deaths of children in vehicles and five more that are believed to be heatstroke related, but have not yet been confirmed. Since 1998, there have been at least 624 documented cases of heatstroke deaths of children left in unattended vehicles, making heatstroke the number one cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children ages 14 and under.

MEDIA NOTE:  Event photos available.

For more information, please contact MDFR's Public Affairs Bureau at 786-331-5200.