Burn awareness a must

Burn Awareness Week is observed nationally the first full week in February — Feb. 6 through Feb. 12. Attention to this important matter was initially designed to provide an opportunity for burn, fire and life safety educators to unite in sharing a common burn awareness and prevention message in our communities, but is also designed to bring about public awareness. Burn Awareness Week is an excellent opportunity to kick off a year full of burn awareness education and is sponsored by the American Burn Association (ABA).

The American Burn Association, affiliated with Safe Kids USA, was founded in 1967 following a series of national burn seminars sponsored by leading institutions in the field of burn treatment, according to ABA sources. Since its inception, the Association has been dedicated to stimulating and supporting burn-related research, education, care, rehabilitation and prevention. To advance these goals, the ABA sponsors educational programs, fellowships, research, teaching and publications, including the leading peer-reviewed, scientific journal in the burn field, the Journal of Burn Care and Research (Richard L. Gamelli, MD, FACS - Editor-in-Chief).

This year, Burn Awareness Week is directing primary attention to preventing scald burn injuries. On its website, the ABA reminds us all that it is important to remember that children, especially ages 4 and younger, may not perceive danger, have less control of their environment, may lack the ability to escape a life-threatening burn situation and may not be able to tolerate the physical stress of a burn injury, and therefore, provides us some valuable and timely reminders.

Top tips to keep your kids safe around the house:

• Establish a safe hot water temperature by setting your water heater to deliver water at a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit or by installing anti-scald devices.

• Do not place hot food or liquids near the counter’s edge or within a child’s reach.

• Do not hold children while cooking or drinking hot liquids.

• Make the stove area a “kid-free zone” (three feet is a good distance). Mark it on the floor with bright tape.

• Keep electrical cords out of reach of children.

Officials of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) echo such nationwide concerns and say the statistics are staggering. In a 2009 report, NFPA noted that each year, roughly 3,000 people die as a result of home fires and burns, and more than 200,000 individuals are seen in the nation’s emergency rooms for burn injuries.

According to sources, “The most common types of burn injuries result from fire or flame burns, scalds and contact burns.” Burns are painful and can result in serious scarring and even death. When we take extra caution in our homes to ensure that the curling iron is out of children’s reach or pot handles are turned away from the edge of the stove, such injuries are entirely preventable. Keeping our homes safe from fire and preventing devastating burn injuries is a healthy change we can make happen.”

A few other simple safety rules to consider to help “Stay Fire Smart! Don’t Get Burned”:

• Never hold a child in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking a hot beverage.

• Be careful when using things that get hot such as curling irons, oven, irons, lamps, heaters.

• Install tamper-resistant receptacles to prevent a child from sticking an object in the outlet.

• Never leave a child alone in a room with a lit candle, portable heater, lit fireplace or stove, or where a hot appliance might be in use.

• Wear short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking.

• Fire Prevention Week is actively supported by fire departments across the country. For 85 years, fire departments have observed Fire Prevention Week, making it the longest running public health and safety observance on record.

A visit to the ABA (www.ameriburn.org) or NFPA (www.nfpa.org) websites can provide additional information, frequently asked questions and other help that is valuable to all persons in preventing such injuries.

Additional questions or comments can be directed to our own Maitland Fire Department at 407-539-6229.