Child Doing Okay After Locking Self in Vehicle With Key Fob

An effort to free a child locked inside a vehicle proved challenging Thursday because of an apparent “safety feature” that prevents the car from being unlocked in any way while the key fob is still inside.

Ladder Co. 2 responded to the parking lot of a day care center on Grand Canyon Drive for a 22-month-old locked inside a vehicle. The parent had stepped out of the vehicle while the child was playing with the vehicle's key fob. The child accidentally locked the doors from the inside.

The child had been locked in the vehicle for five minutes prior to firefighters’ arrival but appeared to be in good spirits, smiling and waving at firefighters. Firefighters used their door-wedge system to attempt to unlock the car. This involves forcing the top of the door open just enough to allow firefighters to insert a long wire-like prod inside to press the lock/unlock buttons on the inside of the car door. Unfortunately, pressing the unlock button did not work and the door would not unlock. Ladder 2 then attempted to use the wire prod to grab the key ring and fob the child had been playing with, but the prod broke while attempting to pull it back out of the vehicle.

By this time, the temperature in the car was rising due to the warm temperatures outside and the vehicle being in direct sunlight. Firefighters draped their turnout coats and towels over the windows to reduce sun exposure, and the decision was made to break a window to expedite the rescue.

With the child located in the driver’s seat, firefighters chose to access the car through the rear passenger-side window. Duct tape was applied to the window, and firefighters punched a hole in the center of the glass to remove the window. It was discovered that the only way to unlock the doors was with the key fob—a potential “safety feature” of the car—as no manual door pulls or “unlock” buttons would work while the fob was still located inside the vehicle.

The parent and child went to a shady spot, and firefighters checked on the child, who was acting normally and did not need EMS. Firefighters advised the parent there was a self-service station across the street from their firehouse on Grand Canyon Drive where they could vacuum up the broken glass. The Ladder 2 lieutenant met them there and helped clean glass from the window frame and seats.

The child remained in good spirits and showed no signs of heat-related illness.