SALT LAKE CITY — Summer may still be weeks away, but Salt Lake's 90-degree days are already bringing the dangers of the summer heat.

According to the National Safety Council, 42 children died in 2017 from heatstroke after being left in hot cars, exceeding the national average by five deaths. Officials are reminding Utah parents to follow every precaution to avoid such a tragedy.

"Our main message to parents is to never leave your child alone in the car, not for any reason," said Cambree Applegate, director of Utah Department of Health's Safe Kids Utah. "We find that car temperatures rise much more rapidly than we realize."

In 10 minutes, a vehicle's interior temperature can rise by 20 degrees and continue to rise as time goes on.

Heatstroke can occur when the body reaches an internal temperature of 104 degrees according to Mayo Clinic research. However, children are especially susceptible. Their body temperature can increase three to five times faster than an adult's, according to a journal article from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Applegate suggested a few precautions when it comes to ensuring a child is not forgotten in a car. For one, Applegate said parents should keep their doors locked when not using the car to make sure kids do not climb inside.

"We see that scenario quite a bit," Applegate said. "The kids will wander off and they go out and play in the car, lock themselves in and can't get out. And parents don't realize where they're at."

A slight deviation from a routine has also led to parents forgetting a child in the back seat, believing they had already dropped the child off at day care or elsewhere. In many cases, it is an infant, too quiet to notice. Applegate suggests parents leave reminders for themselves.

"Leaving your phone, your purse, a shoe — something back there by the child that you're going to need," Applegate said. "Or putting a little stuffed animal up in the front seat to help you remember the kid is in the car with you."

If a passer-by notices a child locked inside a hot car, the first step is to call 911 and get emergency services involved, according to Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking.

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The official high at the airport Monday was 97 degrees and temperatures are expected to remain in the 90s for the remaining workweek. While it’s not unheard of, it’s rare for temperatures to reach in the 90s this early in the calendar year.

However, Wilking said there is a judgment call to be made when considering breaking the window of a hot car to save a child locked inside.

"We're not saying 'don't break a window,'" Wilking said. "Certainly, you have to justify why you're doing that and it has to rise to that level of concern."

Generally, Wilking says calling emergency responders should be a priority in such a situation.

"We're pretty quick," Wilking said. "We're quite capable of breaking windows."

Salt Lake Animal Services is raising the same concerns for local pet owners; the summer heat is just as fatal for dogs locked in cars.

"Once it's over 70 degrees outside, it's too hot to leave your dog in a sitting car," said Callista Pearson, spokesperson for Salt Lake Animal Services. "Your pet could die within 10 to 15 minutes."

Pearson also says cracking a window or parking in the shade is not good enough. It marginally cools the car, but dogs can still suffer in that heat.

Wilking suggests pet owners think twice when bringing their dogs on car rides.

"I really think that, especially during these hot summer months, dogs need to be at home," Wilking said. "Or, in a place where they can control their climate."

Since not all businesses allow dogs to come inside, Wilking said its better for owners to leave them at home rather than risk leaving their pet in the heat of the car.

Pearson urges witnesses of dogs locked in hot cars to, instead of breaking the window of a car, call 911 or animal services directly at 801-743-7045.

Utah is not one of nine states that protect "good Samaritans" who physically break into cars to save pets locked inside. Those who do could face legal ramifications.

Pearson said animal services received 92 calls last month alone for reports of dogs locked in hot cars. In all of 2017, the department received 677 calls about dogs in cars.

"That is a priority call for them," Pearson said.

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