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Children In Vehicles 1

Children Left In Unattended Vehicles...

Raising Awareness for This Silent Killer

Clinton R. Shelley

Colleyville Fire Department


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CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

I hereby certify that this paper constitutes my own product, that where the language of others is set

forth, quotation marks so indicate, and that appropriate credit is given where I have used the

language, ideas, expressions, or writings of another.

Signed: _________________________________________


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Abstract

Every year hundreds if not thousands of children under the age of five are left in

unattended vehicles. Tragically, many of these children are seriously injured or die as a result of

this error in judgment by their parent or caregiver. The problem is the Colleyville, Texas Fire

Department has no program to raise awareness for this problem resulting in increased risk to the

children of Colleyville. The purpose of this action research was to identify if this problem exists in

other communities, what programs are in place, and if vehicles can be made safe for children.

Through literature review, experiments, and a nationwide survey, it was apparent that there is

indeed a need for greater awareness in Colleyville and across the country.


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Children Left In Unattended Vehicles...Raising Awareness for This Silent Killer

Introduction

In the period between 1998 2006, 300 children have died across the United States due to

being left in unattended vehicles (Null, 2006). In the period between 1990 2005, there were 278

reported cases of children left in unattended vehicles in the state of Texas, of these, 92 children

died as a result of this action. (Kids And Cars, 2005). In the period between 2000 2006, the

Colleyville, Texas Fire Department has responded to 51 incidents of children being left in

unattended vehicles resulting in two injuries and no deaths to date (Department Report, 2006).

According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), one of the largest at risk groups to

injury or death from fire is children under the age of five. Ironically, most all of the deaths since

1990 are related to children being left in unattended vehicles and have been children under the age

of five. The problem is the Colleyville, Texas Fire Department has no program in place to

educate the community on the hazards of leaving children in unattended vehicles; thereby

increasing the risk of injury or death to the children of Colleyville, Texas. The purpose of this

research is to identify current programs and issues related to children left in unattended vehicles

and develop a program for the community of Colleyville, Texas. Utilizing action research, this

researcher will address the following research questions in an effort to develop an effective

community awareness program related to this topic:

How does Colleyville, Texas compare to other communities with regard to the frequency of

occurrence of children left in unattended vehicles?

What current programs are being used to raise awareness about children left in unattended

vehicles?

What factors affect the rate of temperature rise within a vehicle?


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What products are available to reduce the rate of temperature increase within parked

vehicles?

How effective are the products at keeping temperatures within a safe temperature range for

children to remain in the vehicle?

Background & Significance

The Colleyville Fire Department (CFD) is a sub-urban department located in the Mid-

Cities area between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. The Department is bordered on its eastern

limits by Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Airport. The Department began more than 50 years ago as an

all volunteer agency and has transitioned over the last 25 years to an all career staff of 30 personnel

with five additional administrative staff. Shift staffing consists of ten personnel covering an

engine, medic, and quint responding out of two stations. Colleyville is considered one of the most

affluent communities in North Texas and is home to more than 21,000 people dispersed across

more than 13 square miles. All Operations personnel work a standard three platoon rotation with

one day on duty and two days off duty.

Due to the demographics of the area, a large number of day care facilities and stay-at-home

parents make their home in Colleyville. The median age of Colleyville residents is 37.8 (Council

of Governments, 2006). This demographic lends itself to a large number of small children within

the community. The presence of these two components also provides the necessary ingredients for

response to children left in unattended vehicles. As mentioned previously, the CFD has responded

to a total of 51 incidents of children being left unattended in vehicles between 2000 and 2006. At

no time in the past has any effort to create awareness for this situation been conducted. It was not

until the summer of 2005 that consideration was given to program development in this area. In

May of 2005, the CFD responded to two separate incidents about three weeks apart where toddlers


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between two and three years of age were left in their parents vehicles in the garage for 20-30

minutes before the parents remembered and went back to get the children out of the vehicle. In

one of these incidents, the parent had left the keys in the car and locked the doors. Fire crews

arrived on scene and had to break out the window to remove the child. Both children were treated

and transported by CFD paramedics suffering from severe heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Fortunately, in both instances the children made complete recoveries and suffered no long term

adverse effects.

According to Kids And Cars (2005), when the outside temperature is 90 degrees

Fahrenheit, the inside temperature of a parked vehicle with the windows cracked can reach 125

degrees Fahrenheit in just 20 minutes and as much as 140 degrees Fahrenheit in 30 minutes. In

both instances in Colleyville, the outside temperature was greater than 90 degrees Fahrenheit and

the incidents were reported between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. which is often considered the hottest

time of the day. These sobering statistics only intensify the need for an effective awareness

program related to this topic.

It was at this point that this researcher was directed to pull reports related to this type of

incident and the decision was then made that program development was to begin immediately

based on the findings and the volume of incidents for such a small community. As with any fire

service organization the mission directly involves preservation of life and property from all types

of emergencies and disasters. The presence of this situation has created awareness within the

organization of a significant gap in our prevention related efforts that must be corrected before a

similar incident results in a less fortunate outcome. Although not directly related to reducing fire

death and injury statistics in the United States, the reduction in the number of children being left in

unattended vehicles is of utmost importance and this task is likely to only be accomplished through


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intense public awareness efforts beginning at the grass roots level. Successful creation and

implementation of this program will likely yield positive long term results in the Colleyville area

related to the USFAs operational objective of reducing injury and death among children under the

age of five.

The central focus of theLeading Community Risk Reduction course is on the use and

understanding of the Community Risk Reduction Model. The first step in this model is Getting

Ready. One of the objectives within the Getting Ready component is taking responsibility for risk

reduction through risk mitigation. The goal of this research is to reduce the risk related to children

in unattended vehicles through program development and implementation community wide.

Literature Review

Research on childhood injuries and prevention measures is a field which has been studied

and improved upon for many years. Injury and death statistics for children have been gathered for

many years as well. Despite this research in many areas related to children, very little injury

statistics were available related to children left in unattended vehicles. This research and statistics

gathering only began in a more significant manner since 1990 (Kids And Cars, 2005). Data

reporting on this topic has been under reported which statistically underscores the true significance

of the problem nationwide. Another interesting point which substantiates the significance of

incidents not reported is that the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) has no designated

code to report motor vehicle heat related deaths, nor is there any United States national or state

data source currently collecting this information (A Guard, SS Gallagher, 2005). According to a

report released by the Center for Disease Control [CDC] (2002), of the various ways children have

been killed in or around motor vehicles, excessive heat exposure was the most common; however,

scientific literature examining the circumstances of these incidents is minimal. Background


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information on these types of incidents from references such as books and magazines were

minimal despite extensive library research efforts. The most prevalent form of information was

found on the internet and through networking responses from other fire and EMS agencies.

The literature review was developed from the five research questions being used for this

research: (1) How does Colleyville, Texas compare to other communities with regard to the

frequency of occurrence of children left in unattended vehicles? (2) What current programs are

being used to raise awareness about children left in unattended vehicles? (3) What factors affect

the rate of temperature rise within a vehicle? (4) What products are available to reduce the rate of

temperature increase within parked vehicles? (5) How effective are the products at keeping

temperatures within a safe temperature range for children to remain in the vehicle?

The initial research question was to determine how Colleyville, Texas compares to other

communities with regard to the frequency of children left in unattended vehicles. As stated

previously, between 2000 2006, the CFD responded to 51 incidents involving children left in

unattended vehicles (Dept. Report, 2006). Of these 51 incidents, all were accidental circumstances

and in no incident were the parents or responsible parties cited or prosecuted for their actions. As

stated previously, the collection of data on the topic of children left in vehicles is relatively new

with consistent data only being gathered over the last 15 or so years. As this researcher began to

search through the various types of media available, it was apparent that community or fire

department specific response statistics were going to be available in a limited quantity at best.

Those specific statistics that were found have been included in this review, however, a multitude of

data of this variety was provided during survey responses which will be presented later in the

research.


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A report received from the Escondido, California Fire Department (EFD) showed that from

July 19, 2004 to July 10, 2006 their Department responded to a total of 72 incidents involving

children locked in vehicles. Of these, none resulted in injury or death to the child involved (EFD

Report, 2006). According to a Las Vegas Sun Editorial (2005, October 5), the Las Vegas, Clark

County, and North Las Vegas Fire Departments had been dispatched to a total of 2,171 incidents

from January 2002 to October 2005 to aid children left unattended or accidentally locked in

vehicles. Since 2001, seven children in the same area have died as a result of their entrapment

(Las Vegas Sun, 2005, October 4).

In 2003, Texas led the nation in the number of pediatric heat related car deaths (Texas

Dept. of Family Protective Services, 2006). According to Kids And Cars (2006) more than 1,000

children have died in the United States since 1999 because they were left unattended in or around

cars. Of these, about 25% or more than 250 of these deaths were the result of being left inside the

car during hot weather.

In another study, Guard & Gallagher (2005) found that between January 1995 and

December 2002, a total of 233 deaths were recorded involving children left in parked motor

vehicles. Although the focus of the study was on the United States, the researchers also identified

six cases in Australia, four cases in Japan, two cases in England, two cases in Israel, one case in

Italy, and one case in Malaysia. The study also identified no patterns to the number of deaths each

year and throughout the course of the study deaths were recorded in 41 out of the 50 states across

the United States.

Year Fatalities

2006 4 (as of 5/28/06)

2005 42


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Make arrangements with your childs babysitter or daycare facility to call anytime

your child will not be there.

If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved.

Never leave your keys where a child can get to them. Make sure your car is locked

so kids cannot get inside when un-supervised.

Do not underestimate the capabilities of your child.

UMHSC (2006) made similar suggestions, as well as a few additional health related facts and tips.

Those suggestions were:

Never leave the keys in the car.

Children left in vehicles are at greater risk for abduction as well as heat related

injuries.

Teach your child the dangers of the car and the trunk.

If your child gets locked in a car, call 911 immediately.

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke can set in quickly in enclosed vehicles.

On a 93 degree day, the interior of a vehicle can reach 125 degrees in as little as 20

minutes.

Heat stroke can occur in a matter of minutes for infants and small children.

Leaving the windows cracked is not effective for preventing heat related injuries.

Another bullet-pointed page in the form of a printable fact sheet was found on the website

of the Texas Department of Family Protective Services (TDFPS). The points were much the same

as the previous websites, but this website included links to prevention materials, handouts, and

other awareness items to raise awareness. The program was titled Look Before You Leave


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(TDFPS, 2006). According to this website, the goal was to raise awareness among daycare

workers and childcare facilities.

In an article found in the South Florida Sun Sentinel (July 8, 2006) a public safety

announcement (PSA) is under development at Florida Atlantic University to address this growing

epidemic. The PSA will depict two cars and a small, helpless baby in the back seat of one vehicle.

The cars will carry on a conversation about how dangerous and sometimes deadly it is to leave a

child unattended in a vehicle. The PSA will utilize cartoons to spread this message citing their

research indicating it to be the most effective form of media for topics of this nature. The end goal

of this project is to show the PSA on media outlets all across the state of Florida.

An additional prevention campaign found at the fire department level was in San Diego,

California. The program called EPIC Medics is nationally recognized for its efforts in raising

awareness for child injury prevention throughout southern California. This program has a

component directly related the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. The poster is in

the form of a decal affixed to the side of San Diego FD ambulances which reads: You wouldnt

leave your groceries in the car, why would you leave me? with a picture of a little girl on the

opposite end of the decal. This program was initiated following the death of a little girl named

Kaitlyn Russell in August of 2000. The program is a component of 4 R Kids Sake which was

started after Kaitlyns death. As a result of Kaitlyns death and the efforts to raise awareness, The

California Legislature adopted Kaitlyns Law in 2002 which makes it a misdemeanor to leave a

child unattended in a hot vehicle (4 R Kids Sake, 2006).

According to the Chicago Sun Times (September 23, 2004), fewer than 25% of states had

legislation making it a crime to leave a child unattended in a vehicle. In an article found in the

Child Protection Law Report(August 12, 2004) only nine states across the United States had


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enacted legislation to help prevent these incidents from happening. The same article also reports

that of the states with current laws in place, Californias is the most comprehensive.

According to the Texas Penal Code, Title 5, Chapter 22, Section 10 22.10:

LEAVING A CHILD IN A VEHICLE. (a) A person commits an offense if he

intentionally or knowingly leaves a child in a motor vehicle for longer than five

minutes, knowing that the child is: (1) younger than seven years of age; and (2) not

attended by an individual in the vehicle who is fourteen years of age or older. (b)

An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor. Note: If the child is

injured, the charge is then elevated to child endangerment, which is a felony. The

penalties are six months to two years in jail and a fine up to $10,000.00.

This law is representative of what has been adopted by other states across the country (Kids And

Cars, 2005). As of November 2006, 11 states have legislation in place related to leaving kids in

unattended vehicles and 15 states are currently considering proposed legislation on the subject

(Kids And Cars, 2006).

Of all the various forms of awareness campaigns and programs, the most in comprehensive

by far was the organization Kids And Cars. This organization was started in the late 1990s and

has grown to become the most thorough data collection point on all topics related to children

injured or killed in or around vehicles. The website contains statistical data, legislative updates

and even a model law draft to decrease the length of time needed to draft proposed legislation

(KidsAndCars, 2006). In addition to the previously stated items, Kids And Cars provides a

detailed list of various safety-related devices available for cars to decrease the likelihood of injury

or death among children in or around vehicles. The Kids and Cars website also provides a variety

of awareness campaign items to handout or provide during special events or gatherings such as


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open houses, etc. There is a wide variety of awareness information available, and the level of

awareness at the state legislative level is growing, what else is needed to reduce the occurrence of

this tragedy in our society?

The focus of the third research question was on determining which factors affect the rate of

temperature rise within a vehicle. According to Null (2006) the atmosphere and windows of a

vehicle are relatively transparent to the suns shortwave radiation, however, this shortwave

radiation does warm the non-transparent items within the vehicle such as the seats, dashboard, or

car seats for instance. These items in turn give off long wave radiation which is very efficient at

warming the atmosphere within the vehicle. These steps make the interior warming of a vehicle a

two step process.

Null (2006) also conducted a study to measure the rate of rise of temperature in an enclosed

car on 16 dates between May 16th and August 8th, 2002. The vehicle used was a dark blue mid-

sized sedan with medium gray interior. The test was also done leaving the windows of the vehicle

cracked.

The findings of this study were as follows:

Average elapsed time versus temperature rise

o 10 minutes 19 degrees Fahrenheit




o 1 to 2 hours 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit

The study also concluded that leaving the windows cracked had little effect on the temperature

rise and the vehicles interior color was probably the biggest temperature rise factor.


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Faughn (2005) reported that while folding window shades can reduce the interior

temperature of a vehicle, it does not make it safe for a child to be left inside. According to CDC

(2002) during a one year study of children killed or injured in or around motor vehicles, excessive

heat exposure while in a motor vehicle was the leading cause of death, however, scientific

information examining the circumstances of such incidents was minimal. In a study conducted by

General Motors (GM) in 2003 researchers found that a child could suffer serious injury in just a

few minutes while exposed to dry heat conditions. A second study done showed that when the dry

heat was replaced with a humid, hot scenario, the length of time to serious injury and/or death was

cut in half. The GM study went on to suggest that a childs internal body temperature increases at

a rate three to five times faster than that of an adult. The study went on to show that ambient

temperatures as cool as 60 degrees Fahrenheit could prove lethal to small children (GM, 2004). In

a study conducted by Stanford University in 2005, it was determined that cracking the windows

had no impact on the rate of temperature rise, and that running the air conditioner in the vehicle

momentarily prior to exiting only delayed the temperature rise by about five minutes (McLaren,

Null, & Quinn, 2005). This same study also indicated that all temperature measurements were

taken in the shade inside the vehicle and out of direct sunlight. The implications of the study

suggest that if a child were exposed to direct sunlight, the rate of onset of symptoms would be

more rapid and more devastating (McLaren, Null, & Quinn, 2005). As suggested by one source

earlier, scientific data on the factors affecting the rate of temperature rise in parked vehicles is

minimal. This researcher was unable to obtain any research data related to items such as the use of

tinted windows, various types of window shades, fans, air conditioner left on with the vehicle

running, or other possible variables. Due to this difficulty, this researcher conducted experiments


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utilizing some of the aforementioned factors to determine their viability as options to reduce threat

potential.

The fourth research question was directed at determining products available in the market

place with the intention of reducing interior motor vehicle temperatures. Products aimed at

reducing interior vehicle temperatures are plentiful in the marketplace, however, there were no

products found despite extensive searching that indicated they could cool a vehicle significantly

enough to leave a child in the vehicle. One such device was a Malaysian product called E-Vent.

This device fits in the window of the vehicle and supplies forced outside fresh air in once the

interior temperature exceeds 38 degrees Celsius. The marketing approach of this product was

aimed at reducing workloads on vehicle air conditioners and minimizing heat damage to interior

components rather than tenability for forgotten occupants (Financial Times, 2003). Various other

types of folding window shades were found throughout a widespread internet search with no

products advising safe conditions for children, these products only reduced interior temperatures to

minimize UV damage to dashboards and upholstery.

There were, however, several products identified in the marketplace that aim to reduce the

likelihood of forgetting your children in the car. The organization Kids And Cars has developed a

keychain attachment of childrens rattle toys to remind parents or caregivers of the presence of the

baby in the car (Kids and Cars, 2006). Kids And Cars is also working in conjunction with the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a car seat alarm which

activates when the vehicle is shut off and an occupant remains in a car seat more than a few

seconds. The device is called a Child Presence Sensor and NASA is looking for a corporate

partner to further develop and market the product for widespread use (NASA, 2002). Finally, GM

is developing an alarm system that will respond to the movement of a small child down to the


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Upon returning home to Fort Worth, Texas, this researcher continued my research at the

Fort Worth and Hurst, Texas Public Libraries utilizing the same keywords. No books were

identified with any information related to this topic, however, there were numerous internet

resources which were identified and reviewed extensively. These resources provided the basis for

the Literature Review of this research effort. As this researcher matched sources to research

questions a pattern was determined. This pattern showed that there were no products which

claimed to reduce interior vehicles satisfactorily enough for children to remain in the vehicles, and

without these products, there would be no way to assess their viability or find past research which

supported or condemned the claims of the products.

The next step in the research process was to develop a survey for submission throughout

the United States to determine the frequency of occurrence for these types of events within other

jurisdictions. Secondly, the survey would provide information on the types of awareness programs

being conducted throughout the country and the percentage of survey respondents who have

awareness programs in place. The third component of the survey would identify injury and death

statistics related to children left in vehicles for the survey group independent of national statistics

identified previously in this research. According to Krejcie & Morgan (1970), a minimum of 379

respondents would be needed to provide a 95 percent confidence in the survey results.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of this researcher, only 137 surveys were returned. Multiple

surveys from the same fire department were confirmed for duplicity and disregarded; however, the

survey respondents provided feedback from a cross section of the country based on location,

climate, and population density. The respondents came from a total of 21 states and one additional

country. A copy of the survey is available in Appendix A and a list of all respondent departments

is available in Appendix B. As conducted in previous surveys, this researcher supplied the survey


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request to the various Fire Chiefs Associations across the country and politely requested they

disburse them throughout their email trees to multiply the potential for response above other likely

means.

The third step in this research process was to conduct field experiments related to the topic

of determining rate of temperature rise in varying conditions, ambient temperatures, and types of

vehicles. This portion of the research was conducted in the following manner:

1) Identify dates for conducting the experiment and a set time frame each day to

maintain consistency. All experiments were conducted from 9:00 a.m. until

10:00 a.m. each date. The experiments were conducted starting on August 2

nd

and concluding on August 9th . August is typically the hottest month of the year

in Texas and would provide the most extreme temperature conditions for

consideration of effects on human beings.

2) Measure temperature changes each time utilizing the same machine and verifying

calibration prior to the start of the experiment. During this experiment, the

researcher utilized a Raynger heat sensing device carried on all fire apparatus

within the Colleyville Fire Department. The calibration was verified prior to

each experiment utilizing the manufacturers guidelines for calibration.

3) Identify benchmark times in advance and utilize the same benchmarks for each

experiment. Based on the findings of sources identified within the Literature

Review, the benchmark times established for this volley of experiments was 10

minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes, and one hour.

4) Measure benchmark temperatures in the same manner and location of the vehicle

each time to ensure consistency. The temperature was measured for ten seconds


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each time it was taken and the seat cushion of the backseat in the middle of the

seat was utilized each time. The temperature measurements were done in both

direct and indirect sunlight to analyze certain aspects of Literature Review

research which suggested differentiation based on this component. The windows

of the vehicle were left down for 30 minutes prior to the start of the experiment

to allow the interior of the vehicle to equalize with the ambient outside

temperature.

5) Identify the list of variables to be tested and proceed through each one utilizing

the process described. For this experiment, the variables utilized were the

following:

a. Direct and indirect sunlight.

b. Parking the vehicle in the shade versus full sun.

c. Windows completely sealed versus windows cracked 1.5 inches.

d. Light interior cloth versus dark interior cloth.

e. Folding window shade versus exposed front windshield.

f. Light vehicle color versus dark vehicle color.

The results of the experiment will be discussed later in this research. The individual findings, as

well as a blank experiment documentation sheet are available in Appendix C.

The final component of this research was to develop a program to raise awareness in Colleyville,

Texas on the dangers of leaving children in unattended vehicles in hopes of avoiding the injury or

death of a child within our community of responsibility. This program is a compilation of facts

from the research reviewed and conducted and will be available in both English and Spanish. The

components of the program are as follows:


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Bilingual fact sheet on the dangers of leaving children and suggestions for avoiding

its occurrence.

Bumper stickers and window clings to be disbursed throughout the schools and

daycare facilities of Colleyville, Texas.

Reminder key chains to lessen the likelihood of forgetting the little ones. The goal

being to provide one to every parent in Colleyville.

Slide presentation to all daycare workers, school teachers, and as many parents as

possible to ensure widespread coverage.

Possible future digital and video components to spread the information on an even

more broad scale.

At the time of this writing, all components except for the digital and video portions have been

developed. This researcher is in negotiations with local community groups to assist with funding

and further development of this program.

Limitations:

The procedures used in this research were met by several limitations throughout the

process. The first limitation is the relatively new nature of the topic in that statistics have only

been being gathered for less than ten years. Secondly, products capable of reducing interior

temperatures into a safe range for children have yet to be adequately developed despite the

seriousness of the issue. Without products that change interior temperatures, there is no way to

evaluate their effectiveness in doing so. Finally, despite the repeat efforts of this researcher, there

was not an adequate enough response to the survey to ensure 95 percent confidence in the findings,

even though the results provide some insight into the significance of the problem nationwide.

Definition of Terms:


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Heat Sensor device which sends out a laser guided signal to measure the temperature of the

object on which the laser is aimed. This device is utilized frequently in the fire service for

determining hot points within fire buildings.

Results

The initial research question addressed the comparison of Colleyville, Texas to other

communities with regard to the frequency of occurrence of children being left or locked in

unattended vehicles. A search of Departmental records found that 51 incidents of this type had

occurred between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2005 (Dept. Report, 2006). Of these 51

incidents, only two resulted in injury to the occupants of the vehicle. In addition, the Colleyville

Fire Department has no current program in place to heighten awareness for this type of incident.

When all results from the nationwide survey were completed, a total of 137 surveys were returned.

Duplicate department returns were checked for continuity and disregarded if the data was the same.

The survey was comprised of eight questions. The only identifying questions within the

survey were questions one and two which asked for the name of the Department and the State

where the Department was located. The results of the survey are as follows on the next page

:Question 3: Size of Population?

Size of Population

Data Type 500K Total

# of Respondents 31 64 18 15 5 133

Percentage 23% 48% 14% 11% 4% 100%

The CFD falls into the category of 10K-50K in population. The 48% of the results

received in the survey came from communities of similar size to Colleyville. 85% of survey

respondents came from communities with populations of less than 100,000. Only 15% of the

results were derived from large, urban communities.


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Question 4: In the period of 2001 2005, did your Department have any responses involving

children left or locked in vehicles which were not running?

Responses to Kids in Vehicles

Data Type Yes No Total

# of Respondents 54 79 133

Percentage 41% 59% 100%

As stated previously, the CFD has had responses of this nature thus prompting the research

to be conducted. The survey results indicate that less than 50% of the survey respondent

Departments has answered similar responses in the last five years.

Question 5: If you answered yes, please complete the table below:

Total Responses of All Survey Respondents

Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Total

Responses 490 987 937 955 838 4,207

Injuries 7 9 11 16 24 67

Deaths 0 0 0 0 2 2

The total response during the period of 2001 2005 for the CFD was 51. Of these, two

incidents resulted in injuries and no deaths were reported. From the results reported we can

surmise that roughly one in every sixty-two incidents reported on this survey resulted in an injury

and unfortunately, two children lost their lives as a result of being left unattended in vehicles.

Question 6: What type of injury was most prevalent among reported injuries?

Most Prevalent Injuries

Type of Injury Hyperthermia Dehydration Trauma Other

# of Respondents 15 14 0 10

Percentage 38% 37% 0% 25%

In the two injuries reported in Colleyville, Texas, the injuries were both related to

hyperthermia and dehydration. The survey results indicate that an almost equal percentage of

respondents reporting injuries saw injuries in those same two areas. No reports of trauma were


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noted and the ten other responses were delineated as two reports of cardiac arrest and eight

reports of unconsciousness upon arrival of first responders.

Question 7: Was outside temperature a factor in the cause of the injuries?

Outside Temperature A Factor

Data Type Yes No

# of Respondents 27 12

Percentage 69% 31%

Of the respondents reporting injuries, more than two-thirds considered outside temperature to be a

factor. In Colleyville, outside temperature, as well as being in the garage were factors in both

reported injuries. However, almost one-third of respondents reporting injury did not see outside

temperature as being a factor in the cause of injury.

Question 8: Does your Department have an awareness program for the community related to this

topic?

As mentioned before, the Colleyville Fire Department does not have a program in place that

addresses this issue. The results of the survey show that 95% of respondent Departments do not

have a program of this type in place either. Only six communities of those who responded to the

survey report having a program in place. Of these six programs, all were based on hand-out

materials and presentations among community groups in an effort to spread the word on this silent

killer of small children.

The ultimate goal of this research was to provide insight and ideas to this researcher in

preparation for developing an effective program in Colleyville, Texas that will reduce the

incidence of this type of emergency and provide awareness to the immediate community and

potentially others as well. Utilizing the results of this research and the ideas discovered during the

Awareness Program

Data Type Yes No

# of Respondents 6 125

Percentage 5% 95%


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Literature Review process, this researcher has developed the following program components to

help spread the word and increase awareness in the community. This program is a

compilation of facts from the research reviewed and conducted and will be available in both

English and Spanish. The components of the program are as follows:

Bilingual fact sheet on the dangers of leaving children and suggestions for avoiding

its occurrence.

Bumper stickers and window clings to be disbursed throughout the schools and

daycare facilities of Colleyville, Texas.

Reminder key chains to lessen the likelihood of forgetting the little ones. The goal

being to provide one to every parent in Colleyville.

Slide presentation to all daycare workers, school teachers, and as many parents as

possible to ensure widespread coverage.

Possible future digital and video components to spread the information on an even

more broad scale.

Program component copies are available in the Appendix E of this research document.

The second component of this action research was conducting live experiments utilizing

available vehicles and weather conditions applicable to Colleyville, Texas. The experiments were

carried out over eight consecutive days between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.. The experiments were

done using various options that were considered by this researcher to be possible variables to

temperature tolerance. The results of the experiments are presented below and the findings of the

experiments will be summarized following the table.

Time 2002 Ford Expedition

Red in Color, Light Grey Interior

Full Sun Full Sun Shade Shade

Windows Closed Windows Cracked Windows Closed Windows Cracked


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Exposed Windshield Windshield Shade Exposed Windshield Windshield Shade

9:00 91 - 93 90 - 92 90 - 93 91 - 91

9:10 91 - 106 90 - 104 90 - 101 91 - 99

9:20 91 - 121 91 - 114 90 - 112 91 - 106

9:30 91 - 127 91 - 123 90 - 119 92 - 1149:40 92 - 133 91 - 128 90 - 123 92 - 119

10:00 92 - 139 91 - 134 90 - 129 92 - 126Figure 2: Ford Expedition Experiment Results.

Time

2006 Chevrolet Pick-Up

Burgundy in Color, Black Interior

Full Sun Full Sun Shade Shade

Windows Closed Windows Cracked Windows Closed Windows Cracked

Exposed Windshield Windshield Shade Exposed Windshield Windshield Shade

9:00 91 - 92 91 - 93 90 - 92 91 - 91

9:10 91 - 105 91 - 103 90 - 99 91 - 97

9:20 92 - 120 91 - 112 91 - 110 91 - 104

9:30 92 - 127 92 - 119 91 - 116 91 - 111

9:40 92 - 135 92 - 125 91 - 121 91 - 117

10:00 93 - 140 92 - 131 91 - 128 91 - 123Figure 3: Chevrolet Pick-Up Experiment Results.

Ambient temperatures were in the range of 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit each day and the

windows to the vehicle were rolled down and left down for 30 minutes prior to the start of the

experiment to get the vehicle interior as close to the ambient air temperature as possible. The two

vehicles used provided for one vehicle with light colored interior and one vehicle with dark

colored interior. All other experiments were conducted the exact same way on both vehicles

providing the yielded results seen in Figure 2 and Figure 3. The other variables measured were

closed versus cracked windows which were lowered 1 . Full sun versus parking in a shaded

area was measured. Lastly, the differentiation between an open front windshield and one blocked


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with a folding sun shade was assessed. Further critique and discussion of the results of the

experiment will be provided in the next section of the research.

Discussion

At the conclusion of the literature review related to this topic, the independent nationwide

survey, and the on site experiments conducted on the topic, awareness on the dangers of leaving

children in vehicles unattended is poor at best. Furthermore, fire departments across this nation are

doing little as a whole to change this fact. The CDC (2002) identified excessive heat exposure as

the leading cause of death among children left in motor vehicles unattended. Experimentation by

this researcher concluded that there is no effective way to reduce interior temperatures to safe

levels for occupation by small children with the vehicle not running. No products were found that

were aimed at reducing internal vehicle temperatures to safe ranges for leaving children in the car,

nor should there likely be such devices designed and marketed. Products are under development to

reduce the likelihood of forgetting children, and legislation is being pressed significantly across the

nation to limit the occurrence of this tragedy and make those who do so suffer accordingly for their

errors in judgment or memory. Despite these efforts, not enough is being done, because children

are still dying in this manner every year.

Awareness of this growing epidemic of poor judgment is lacking significantly. If there is to

be a change in the frequency of occurrence something has to be done to heighten awareness.

According to Kids And Cars (2005), data collection on this topic only began in 1990 and even now

the data collection is voluntary and mostly collected through nationwide media searches. There is

no federal identifier given to these types of incidents when collecting injury statistics (Kids And

Cars, 2005). Kids And Cars also has brochures, window clings, and other informational tools, as

well as reminder items available to the public, yet until conducting this research, this researcher


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had never even heard of the organization in my 16 plus years of public safety service. Null (2006)

acknowledged Kids And Cars as the nationwide leader in this type of data collection, yet it is not

enough if the organization is not known to those who can help make a difference such as fire

departments, which focus a large portion of their efforts on prevention and awareness.

According to TDFPS (2006), Texas led the nation in fatalities from children being left or

locked in unattended vehicles in 2003. This state agency recognized the need for a program and

developed the Look Before You Leave program to raise awareness. Until this researcher began

this project and researched current programs, there was no knowledge of this program. Here are

two programs, one on a national level and one on a state level, which this researcher, who has been

in public safety for more than sixteen years had no prior knowledge of these programs before

conducting this research.

Following the results of the nationwide survey, 95% of respondents to the survey admitted

to no type of awareness program for this topic in their organizations. Only six organizations had

programs in place to address this problem. This is a truly staggering statistic. If the results of this

survey were extrapolated out over all of the fire departments in the United States, and the

percentages of the survey did not change, less than of one percent of fire departments in this

nation would be addressing this problem in some manner. Only 147 fire departments of the more

than 30, 572 current agencies would be doing anything to keep these statistics from growing in

their own communities.

Only 41% of survey respondents reported responding to emergencies of this type. Could

lack of response and complacency on the part of fire and EMS agencies be contributing to the lack

of awareness effort? Based on this researchers experience and history within the fire department

that workloads and span of capabilities in most fire agencies requires focus on the most likely


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problems in the community leading to exclusion of potential problems such as the topic discussed

in this research. Lack of response should not deter efforts to raise awareness. This emergency can

occur in any environment and it does not necessarily have to be excessively hot outside for

injury or death to occur (Kids And Cars, 2005). However, 69% of survey respondents did report

that outside temperature was a factor in the injuries to which they responded.

According to a Las Vegas Sun Editorial (2005, October 5), the Las Vegas, Clark County,

and North Las Vegas Fire Departments had responded to more than 2,100 incidents between

January 2002 and October 2005 to assist children left or locked inside unattended vehicles.

Several of these incidents resulted in fatalities, yet nowhere in the editorial did it mention any

programs being used to thwart the growing epidemic in their area. Additional research did not

identify any programs being used in the area either.

Guard & Gallagher (2005) confirmed this researchers suspicions that this problem was

not limited to the United States alone. Indeed, their research showed that this same type of event

with the outcome being that of a fatality investigation had occurred 16 times across six other

countries during their study period of 1995 - 2002. Despite my efforts, this researcher was unable

to find any sources or information on awareness programs being done to address this issue in the

countries identified by their study.

One of the goals of this research was to identify products which reduce interior vehicle

temperatures to acceptable levels for safe habitation by human beings. This research question

proved to be one in which there were no supporting products even in development. Despite this

researchers disappointment at not being able to find research material related to this question, I

now realize the foolishness of developing such products. These products would encourage parents

that it is alright to leave their children in the vehicle alone. If this type of behavior is rejected and


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not condoned, there will eventually be a reduction and let us all hope that someday and elimination

of this tragedy.

Several products were identified by this researcher, which are under development for

alarming parents to forgetting the children, or reminding them in more subtle ways to check the

backseat. NASA (2002) and GM (2005) both reported on development of alarm features to

address this problem. The NASA alarm is engineered for attachment within the childs safety seat,

and the GM product is geared at alarming parents if they exit the vehicle and move too far away in

the seconds following exit. Despite the efforts of these two agencies, neither product is available

as of this writing.

Kids And Cars (2005) created a keychain attachment which looks like a set of baby rattles

to remind parents of the presence of little ones in the vehicle. LAFD (2006) in its bulleted list of

suggestions to prevent leaving your kids suggested keeping a large teddy bear in the car seat and

placing in the front seat when the child is in the vehicle to remind of their presence. All of these

tools are aimed at reducing the incidence of this emergency, but only work if they are implemented

by the end-users.

The final component of change in reducing these emergencies is the incorporation of state laws

to punish those who do so despite what is expected of them. According to the Chicago Sun Times

(September 23, 2004), fewer than 25% of states had legislation making it a crime to leave a child

unattended in a vehicle. In an article found in the Child Protection Law Report(August 12, 2004)

only nine states across the United States had enacted legislation to help prevent these incidents

from happening. As of November 2006, 11 states have legislation in place related to leaving

children in unattended vehicles and 15 states are currently considering proposed legislation on the

subject (Kids And Cars, 2006).


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Even though this is great progress, these statistics report that just more than half of the

states in the United States are addressing this issue at the legal level. According to Guard &

Gallagher (2005), during their study period deaths from being left in unattended vehicles occurred

in 41 out of 50 states in the U.S. At the very least, why wouldnt all of these states address the

problem at the legal level? If this did occur, more than 80% of states would have laws against this

type of behavior.

The final component of this research effort was to identify factors which affect the rate of

temperature rise in vehicles. According (McLaren, Null, & Quinn, 2005) and Null (2006) both

reported temperature increases within a vehicle of 19 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in a period from ten

minutes to one hour without the vehicle running. Experiments conducted by this researcher concur

with these results. Experiment results showed temperature increases ranging from six degrees

Fahrenheit after ten minutes to 48 degrees Fahrenheit after one hour.

However, this researchers experiments also showed that use of a folding window shade in

conjunction with parking in the shade and cracking windows 1 reduced the one hour

temperature increase to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This 32 degree increase in temperature still

resulted in an interior temperature of 123 degrees Fahrenheit, which is still extremely dangerous

for any human being especially children. This finding also concurs with Faughn (2005) which

suggests that use of folding window shades does not make a vehicle tenable for small children.

According to (McLaren, Null, & Quinn, 2005), leaving the windows cracked had little

effect on interior temperatures, however, this researchers experiments showed a temperature

reduction range of five degrees Fahrenheit while parked in the shade, and nine degrees Fahrenheit

while parked in direct sunlight. Regardless of variance, the final result of on site experiments and

those conducted by sources within the Literature Review revealed a common thread in that


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vehicles regardless of type, color, interior, or other cooling factors are no place to leave children

unattended.

Recommendations

At the conclusion of this research project, examination of the literature review, results of a

nationwide survey, and results of independent experiments conducted by this researcher have made

it quite evident that the following steps need to be taken within the CFD to move forward with the

program developed as part of this research are:

Obtain the full support of the Colleyville Fire Department Administration and City

Management to proceed with the implementation of this program across the City

and potentially the area.

Incorporate this prevention program as a component of the Departments overall

community risk reduction efforts and create buy-in from the Operations

personnel as to the validity and necessity of the program.

Establish a financial backing for the program through utilization of community

stakeholders such as:

o The Lions Club

o Rotary Club

o Colleyville Womens Club

o Colleyville Chamber of Commerce

Monitor the progress of the program by continuing to collect statistical data

checking for reductions or increases in this type of emergency.


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As a result of the research, this researcher believes that changes in the Fire Service need to occur

such as:

More involvement on the part of the American Fire Service in injury prevention

efforts specific to this topic. Just because your community is not responding to

hundreds of these calls a year, does not make the situation any less important in the

protection of our smallest treasures.

Better record-keeping for statistical tracking of trends or changes needed in the

program.

Continue to pressure automakers to install safety systems specific to this topic with

a goal of eliminating children left in vehicles altogether.

Heavy utilization of the media to bring more attention on the gravity of this matter.

If we can all work together to make these changes, I believe the following outcomes are possible:

Eventual elimination of the problem.

Significant reduction in the number of incidents each year involving children left in

vehicles.

Parents who are more aware of where their children are at all times.

An involved Fire Service committed to reducing the frequency of this problem.

These changes will take time and commitment on the part of everyone involved. Without

commitment and follow-up, this program will fail before it gets started. The goal of this researcher

is to continue to monitor the program as it spreads with the following commitments:

Quarterly statistical assessment of incident occurrence.

Semi-annual outreach statistics for gauging the programs spread through the

community and abroad.


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Annual assessment of handouts and presentation materials with augmentation of

new ideas, stats, etc. as they become available.

For any other researcher wishing to explore this topic more deeply, this researcher would

recommend the following considerations as you prepare for your journey:

Do not be surprised by the lack of information specific to this topic that is available.

Utilization of the various State Fire Chiefs Associations seem to be fairly effective

in getting the survey out to a broad spectrum of departments and communities.

Plan to search much deeper than the LRC at the NFA will allow. The relative

newness of this topic makes it difficult to gather very much information from

sources other than the internet.

Get involved. If you see a child in a vehicle, dont ignore it, or assume that

someone else will do it, fix the problem before the problem grows and someone is

hurt or killed.

Utilize the temperature experiments to determine the temperature ranges specific to

your community. The resource experiment was conducted in California. The

variation to my experiment in Texas was minimal, but there was variation.

Be thorough as the research you conduct will likely be shedding needed insight

onto a topic of great importance.


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Reference List

4 R Kids Sake (2006). Kaitlyns Law. Retrieved July 12, 2006 from

http://www.4rkidssake.org/Kaitlynslaw.html

Center for Disease Control: MMWR Weekly (2002). Injuries and Deaths Among Children Left

Unattended in or Around Motor Vehicles---United States, July 2000-June 2001. Retrieved

July 12, 2006 fromhttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrrhtml/mm512a3.htm.

Colleyville Fire Department (2006). Retrieved from departmental records database. Accessible by

public record request, (817) 488-6277.

Escondido, California Fire Department (2006). Incidents Involving Children Locked in Vehicles.

Retrieved via email request: www.ci.escondido.ca.us/fire.

Gallagher, S.S. & Guard, A (2005). Heat related deaths to young children in parked cars: an

analysis of 171 fatalities in the United States, 1995-2002. Injury Prevention, 11, 33-37.

Kids And Cars (2005) (2006). Kids And Cars National Database 1990-Present. Retrieved July 12,

2006 from http://www.kidsandcars.org.

Koch, E. (2005, October 4). Deadly lapse of memory. Las Vegas Sun, Retrieved July 24, 2006

from http://www.lasvegassun.com/editorial.

Krejcie, R.V. & Morgan D. W. Determining sample size for research activities. Educational

Psychological Measurement, 1970, 30, 607-610.

LAFD News and Information: Children, Hot Weather, & Cars = Danger! (2006). Retrieved July

24, 2006 from http://lafd.blogspot.com/2006/07/children-hot-weather-cars-danger.html.

Mahmod, C.T.H. (2003). Brunei: Less heat in cars with E-Vent. Financial Times. 12.16 (October

4, 2003).
http://www.4rkidssake.org/Kaitlynslaw.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrrhtml/mm512a3.htmhttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrrhtml/mm512a3.htmhttp://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/firehttp://www.kidsandcars.org/http://www.lasvegassun.com/editorialhttp://lafd.blogspot.com/2006/07/children-hot-weather-cars-danger.htmlhttp://www.4rkidssake.org/Kaitlynslaw.htmlhttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrrhtml/mm512a3.htmhttp://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/firehttp://www.kidsandcars.org/http://www.lasvegassun.com/editorialhttp://lafd.blogspot.com/2006/07/children-hot-weather-cars-danger.html


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McLaren, C. & Null, J. & Quinn, J. (2005). Heat stress from enclosed vehicles: moderate ambient

temperatures cause significant temperature rise in enclosed vehicles. Pediatrics, 116.1

(July 2005).

New law may help raise awareness of the danger of leaving children unattended.

(2005, October 5). The Las Vegas Sun, Editorial: Holding adults accountable.

New Research Shows Humidity Increases the Danger of Hot, Parked Vehicles to Young Children.

Retrieved November 28, 2006 from http://www.gmability.com/safekids/.

News Release NASA develops child car-seat safety device: Feb. 5, 2002. Langley Research

Center: Hampton, Virginia: National Aeronautics & Space Administration.

Null, J. (2006). Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles. Retrieved July 12, 2006, from

http://ggweather.com/heat/

Othon, N.L. (2006). Students aim to save babies FAU Animators creating film to stop neglect.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Local Section, 3B.

Texas Department of Family Protective Services (2006). Look Before You Leave Campaign

Talking Points. Retrieved July 24, 2006 from

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/lookbeforeyouleave.HotCarsTalkingPoints.asp .

UMHS Press Release: Kids in Cars. (2003). Retrieved July 12, 2006 from

http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/kidsincar.htm.

We all have a role in child safety//A way to ensure the safety of our children is to make it a crime

to leave children unattended in vehicles. (2004, September 23). Chicago Sun Times,

Editorial. p. 38.

Young children left alone in cars: an undiscovered form of abuse? (child abuse). Child

Protection Law Report30.16 (August 12, 2004): 125.
http://www.gmability.com/safekids/http://ggweather.com/heat/http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/lookbeforeyouleave.HotCarsTalkingPoints.asphttp://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/kidsincar.htmhttp://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/kidsincar.htmhttp://www.gmability.com/safekids/http://ggweather.com/heat/http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/lookbeforeyouleave.HotCarsTalkingPoints.asphttp://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/kidsincar.htm


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Appendix A

Survey Document

National Fire Academy

Executive Fire Officer Program

My name is Russell Shelley and I am a Battalion Chief with the Colleyville, Texas Fire

Department. I am currently enrolled in the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire

Academy. I am doing my research project on developing a program to raise awareness for children

left in unattended vehicles. Your completion of this survey is greatly appreciated.

1. Department Name:

2. State:

3. Size of Population: 500K

4. In the period of 2001 2005, has your Department had any responses involving

children left or locked inside vehicles which were not running? Yes No

5. If you answered yes, please fill in the table below:

Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Responses Injuries Deaths

6. What type of injury was most prevalent among these incidents?

Hyperthermia Dehydration Trauma Other:


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7. Was outside temperature a factor in the cause of the injuries?

Yes No

8. Does your Department have an awareness program for the community related to this

issue?

Yes No

If yes, please provide a description of the program or a copy of the program if possible.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. A copy of the results will be available by

email upon completion of the project. Please copy and paste the completed survey into a new

email and return to [email protected]. You may also return the surveys by fax to (817)

488-2943 attention Russell Shelley. Thank you again for your assistance with this project.

Appendix B

Departments Participating in Survey
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Little Rock AR Centerville MA

Sonoma Valley CA Salem MA

Carlsbad CA Chelmsford MA

La Habra Heights CA Sandwich MA

Sonoma County CA Ashburnham MA

Sebastopol CA Roseville MN

Woodside FPD CA Cottage Grove MNRichmond CA Stillwater MN

Lompoc CA Fridley MN

Garden Valley FPD CA Eden Prairie MN

Manteca CA Maplewood MN

San Marcos CA Willmar MN

Kenwood CA St. Louis Park MN

Orange County CA Bad Rock MT

San Manuel CA Park County FPD 1 MT

Escondido CA Derry NH

WSI/JPLFD CA Morris NJ

Alhambra CA Hamilton Twnshp NJ

Rio Vista CA Kearny NJ

Los Angeles CA Burlington NJ

Orlando FL Mosquero NM

Forest Park GA Tome-Adelino NM

Rockdale County GA Los Alamos NM

Lumpkin County GA Rio Rancho NM

Gordon County GA New Zealand Fire Service NZ

Aberdeen/Springfield ID Lumberton NC

Jerome City ID Lexington NC

Couer D Alene ID Pendleton OR

Twin Falls ID McMinnville OR

Pocatello ID Astoria OR

Idaho Nat'l Laboratory ID Keizer ORFrankfort Fire Dist. IL Hillsboro OR

Lake Zurich IL Forest Grove OR

Algonquin IL Jackson County Dist 5 OR

Park Ridge IL Lowell Rural FPD OR

Naperville IL Scio Rural FPD OR

Barrington IL Medford OR

Evanston IL Klamath County Dist. 1 OR

Montrose IL Sheridan OR

Elgin IL Sisters-Camp Sherman OR

Lisle Woodridge IL Lake Oswego OR

Mazon IL Bend OR

Johnson County KS Hermiston OR

St. George LA Idanha-Detroit OR

Zachary LA Scappoose OR

Turner's Falls MA Portland OR

Springfield MA Junction City OR

Uxbridge MA Roseburg TN

Cotuit MA Brentwood TN

Roanoke TX


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Southlake TX

Lewisville TX

Trophy Club TX

Roy City UT

Woodinville WA

Vancouver WA

Friday Harbor WAOlympia WA

Lynnwood WA

Pasco WA

Yakima County Dist. 5 WA

Grant County Dist 13 WA

Clark County Dist. 11 WA

Okanogan WA

San Juan Island WA

Kent WA

Lake Stevens WA

Redmond WA

Tukwila WA

Richland WA

Longview WA

Cottage Grove WI

Mukwonago WI

Two Rivers WI

Waukesha WI

Menomonee Falls WI

Caledonia WI

West Bend WI

Green Bay WI

Black River Falls WI

Kenosha WI

Watertown WI

Appendix C

Experiment Documentation Form

Rate of Temperature Rise in Vehicles

Experiment Documentation Form


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Date of Experiment: ___________ Location of Experiment: ___________________________

Data Recorder: _________________________________________________________________

Vehicle Description:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Special Circumstances or Equipment:

_______________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Time Ambient Temperature Interior Temperature

9:00

9:10

9:20

9:30

9:40

10:00

I certify that the data collected here is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and ability.

__________________________________________

Signature of Data Recorder

Appendix D

Completed Experiment Documentation Forms


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Appendix E

Awareness Program Components

Post Card Handout

Safety Sam Mascot

SAFETY SAM

SAYS...

STOP...LOOK...LOOK...THEN LOCK

DONT FORGET

THE KIDS!!!!


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STOPLOOKLOOK

THEN LOCK

DONT FORGET THE KIDS!!!

Each year, hundreds of children across this country die as a result of being

left or locked in an unattended vehicle.

Never leave the kids in the car unattended forany reason!

Window shades and leaving windows cracked do not make it safe to leave

the kids.

Be especially aware if you have infants who are likely to be sleeping when

you reach your destination.

Place a reminder in the front seat with you when your child is in the car seat

such as a teddy bear, baby doll, or a diaper bag.

Use a keychain reminder device on your key ring.

Consider adding a reminder decal to your rear view mirror.

STOP, LOOK, Then LOCK Dont Forget The Kids!!


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Keychain & Bumper Sticker Design

Documents

Efo Lcrr Arp