Stay alert when heat's on

With 100-degree days on their way back next week, it is more important than ever that motorists not leave children or pets locked in their vehicle no matter what the circumstances.

Two weeks ago paramedics and deputies responded to an instance in which a mother left her baby in a car while she went into the store to go to the bathroom.

A passerby spotted the child and called for help, though she would have been justified in breaking the car window.

In Nevada, it's a misdemeanor to leave a child or pet in a locked vehicle for any reason. The mom, who returned to the car as the authorities were arriving, was given a lecture instead of a citation in this instance.

With only two 100-plus days so far this year in Carson Valley, children and pets locked in cars is not an issue we've had to address.

Unlike our cousins in the southern deserts, we don't have big publicity campaigns to remind people not to lock children, pets or other living things in the car while they go in the store for "just a minute."

It doesn't take but 90 degrees outside to equal well over 100 degrees in a closed vehicle. What seems like a few minutes to someone in the store can literally be a lifetime for a baby or a pet in a locked car.

On hot days, leave the pets at home, and keep the child with you.

We know when it's hot out, it's hard to concentrate, but if you're responsible for someone else's life, that's when you need to focus the most.