Act Fast. Save a Life.

Heatstroke is the number one killer of children, outside of car crashes. That's why the Office of EMS is supporting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) efforts to reduce these deaths by reminding the EMS community about educating parents and caregivers about the dangers of heatstroke and leaving children in hot cars. In 2015 there were 24 heatstroke deaths of children in vehicles.

As outside temperatures rise, the risks of children dying from being left alone inside a hot vehicle also rises. One child dies from heatstroke nearly every 10 days from being left in a hot vehicle, but what is most tragic is that these deaths could have been prevented.

The "Act Fast. Save a Life." campaign encourages every person to learn about the dangers of leaving children in locked cars, and to spread awareness of ways to prevent these tragedies from occurring. Campaign materials including press releases, fact sheets and social media icons are available online. You can also get involved by:

• Joining a Twitter chat on July 12 led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) @NHTSAgov using the hashtags #heatstrokekills and #checkforbaby
• Spreading awareness about what EMS and bystanders can do to save a child's life on National Heatstroke Prevention Day on July 31
• Continuing the conversation during NHTSA's second Twitter chat on August 12

Everyone has a role in preventing child heatstroke deaths. For more information, please visit www.safercar.gov.