Proposed bill would help save kids left in hot cars

According to the Missouri Department of Health, there were 358 heat-related deaths reported from 2000 through 2013.

Of those deaths, four percent were children less than five years of age.

Authorities with the Boone County Fire Protection District say you should never leave a child–or a pet–in a car on a hot day. That’s because on days when the temperature exceeds 86 degrees, the internal temperature of a car can reach upwards of 130.

Assistant Fire Chief Gale Blomenkamp says if you do come across a child or a pet in a hot car, then you should call 911 immediately and do what you can to get that person or pet out of the vehicle.

Right now, there is a bill on Governor Nixon’s desk that would provide immunity to any individual who forcibly enters a vehicle for the purpose of removing a minor.

House Bill 1649 would establish the Rescue the Forgotten law to provide immunity from civil liability for persons who render assistance to children trapped in motor vehicles.

The proposed legislation passed both the Missouri House and Missouri Senate–almost unanimously–earlier this month.

It has an emergency clause, so if Governor Nixon signs it, it will become a law immediately.

Right now, it does not include any mention of pets.