Phoenix officers rescue two kids accidentally locked in a minivan
By JEFF POPOVICH
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PHOENIX, Arizona (KPHO, KTVK) — Two Phoenix officers acted quickly and saved two young children locked inside a vehicle after their mother accidentally locked her keys in her minivan.
A Phoenix police spokesperson said that around noon on Tuesday, officers responded to the parking lot of a business near 48th Street and University Drive after dispatch received a call for an injured person. Arriving officers found that a 2-year-old and 2-month-old had accidentally been locked inside a minivan.
The officers spoke to the mother who was standing next to the vehicle and asked her if the vehicle was running and if the A/C was on or not. The mother told the officers the van was off, and the windows were rolled up. Sgt. Mercedes Fortune with the Phoenix Police Department says officers receive training when responding to these calls.
“Some officers carry with them tools which allow them to gain access to vehicles or residences during emergencies. In this case, our officer had a window punch which enabled him to break the window,” Sgt. Fortune said.
Fortune says once officers got the kids out of the minivan, they were checked and given water by Good Samaritans.
“Phoenix Fire personnel arrived and ensured that the kids were not in distress or had any other heat-related medical conditions,” Sgt. Fortune said. “With our extreme heat, it only takes minutes for the interior temperatures to turn deadly. A window is replaceable, a life or the health of a baby is not.”
According to the National Safety Council, an average of 38 kids die each year from heatstroke after being left in a vehicle. In Phoenix, police say the inside temperature of a vehicle can climb to 150 degrees within a matter of minutes. Police ask that people take extra caution as parts of Arizona experience extreme heat.
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