DURHAM, N.C. – Duke Health-Safe Kids Durham County and the NC Office of State Fire Marshal invite members of the media and the public to attend a Hot Car Demonstration and Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke Prevention Awareness Event aimed at educating families about the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles during warm weather.
The event will feature live demonstrations showing how quickly temperatures inside a vehicle can rise to deadly levels, along with interactive activities and powerful visual reminders of the lives lost to pediatric vehicular heatstroke.
Event Details:
When: Wednesday, June 17, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Media Availability: 11:00 a.m.
Where: Hope Valley Farms YMCA | 4818 S. Roxboro Street, Durham, NC
Media will have opportunities to capture:
- Live hot car temperature demonstrations
- Digital displays showing outdoor temperatures versus temperatures inside a vehicle
- S'mores being made on vehicle windshields using the sun's heat
- Children's interactive "Guess the Temperature" challenge with prizes
- A powerful memorial display featuring children's shoes representing the 43 North Carolina children who have died from pediatric vehicular heatstroke since 1998
- Emergency response vehicles from local and state agencies
- Child Passenger Safety education exhibits
- Community partner information booths
Our Partners: Representatives from participating agencies and organizations will be available for interviews.
- Duke Health- Safe Kids Durham County, Durham Fire Department, Durham Police Department, Durham County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Duke Trauma Center, Durham County Office of Emergency Services. Durham Partnership for Children and YMCA
As temperatures continue to rise across North Carolina, officials are reminding families that heatstroke can occur quickly and is one of the leading causes of non-crash vehicle-related deaths among children. Even on mild days, temperatures inside a parked vehicle can become deadly within minutes.
Media representatives are encouraged to attend and help share this life-saving message with their audiences.
-OSFM-