DE PERE, WI -- Since 1998, 37 children, on average, have died in the U.S. each year from being left in a car on a hot day.
According to the San Jose University Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, in 2016, that number is already 19. Here in Wisconsin, there have been eight hot car deaths since 1998.
But experts urge each of these deaths is preventable.
Health experts say children's bodies heat up 3-5 times faster than an adult's. And our four-legged friends aren't that different.
But a hot car can be a death trap for anyone. To better explain that risk, NBC26 paired with professional paramedics and nurses for a case study no one should try at home.
At the De Pere Fire Rescue department, surrounded by experts in the field of health, and rescue, I (that's me, Billy Wagness) am getting a little check up on my vitals, and everything sounds normal.
"Temperature was 97.4. Respiration was 16, and oxygen level was 98%," says health nurse Erin Bongers, "meaning that all of those are within normal limits at this time."
It's good news for me as I prepare to spend the next 20 minutes in a parked car with no A.C., or open windows.
It sounds crazy, but this team of experts is keeping me safe so you can see just how fast this situation can become dangerous for a child.
"In a matter of minutes, this can be life-threatening," adds Bongers, before the ordeal.
Today's temperature at noon is 88 degrees Fahrenheit, which can quickly heat a car well beyond the lethal threshold.
"Even in cool temperatures, [children and pets] are at risk for heat stroke," adds Bongers.
Just three minutes in, and I'm already sweating profusely. At the five minute mark, the thermal camera is reading a dashboard temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
At the 10-minute mark, it's time to check my vitals again as I start to feel lethargic.
"Once you get into the heat exhaustion, and heat stroke," explains firefighter and paramedic Rodney Deviley, "that's when you'll see the vitals changing."
But we're not done yet, as I shoot for the 20 minute mark.
15 minutes in, and sweat has soaked my shirt and pants through.
"You're still going to be sweating profusely with heat exhaustion," says Deviley, "[along with] dizziness, and confusion."
It's here, at the 20 minute mark, that heat exhaustion starts taking over. Once again, do not try this at home.
Deviley points out to me at this point that "your body is under some amount of stress."
It's time to end this experiment.
The first thing I noticed at the 20 minute mark, as I explain to paramedics on scene, is that I felt cool. It was the coolest i had felt in the car since we started.
Paramedics say that's typical for heat exhaustion. My vitals have also deteriorated, with a body temperature of 100 degrees.
"You were at 100 degrees [Fahrenheit]," explains Deviley, "at 103 degrees, cellular damage begins, and the organs start to fail. At 107 degrees, for children, death can occur."
And while forgetting a child in a car might sound silly to some, experts say 54% of all hot car deaths are the result of a caregiver doing just that.
"Keep your phone, purse-something-back there with you," urges Bongers, "as a reminder that the baby's in the back seat."
Experts say another 29 percent of child hot car deaths happen when kids are playing games, like hide and seek, in an unattended vehicle.
Parents are urged to keep their cars locked.
