BURN AWARENESS WEEK

2011 Jan 20

Contact: Lisa King, NNFD, (757) 926-8404

In conjunction with Burn Awareness Week, February 6-11th, the Newport News Fire Department would like to provide information on how to prevent scalds. The focus of this year’s “Burn Awareness Week” is preventing scald injuries and fatalities which are more common with infants, young children, older adults, and people with disabilities. These high risk groups are more likely to require hospitalization, suffer complications, and experience a more difficult recovery.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every day, 435 children ages 0 to 19 are treated in emergency rooms for burn-related injuries and two children die as a result of being burned. You can prevent scalds by following the following tips:

Set home water heater thermostats to deliver water at a temperature no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit/48 degree Celsius.
Test bathwater temperature before anyone enters the bath. Do not fill the bathtub with hot water first to prevent scalds if someone was to fall in to the bath before you have tested the water.
Install grab bars, shower seats or non-slip flooring in tubs or showers if the person is unsteady or weak.
Install anti-scald or tempering devices. These heat sensitive instruments stop or interrupt the flow of water when the temperature reaches a pre-determined level.
Establish an area between the stove and sink that children should not approach. You can use a sticker on the floor that signals that the child should stop before going further.
Cook on back burners when children are present and keep pot handles turned in. During mealtime, place hot items away from the table edge, or plate food from the kitchen.
Do not drink or carry hot liquids when carrying children.
Test micro waved food to be sure cool enough to eat.

For more information and materials, you can visit this website: http://www.cdc.gov/Safechild/Burns/index.html.

Homeowners in the City of Newport News can call the Newport News Fire Department’s Smoke Alarm Hotline at (757) 926-8009 if they need a smoke alarm. For more information about smoke alarms and other fire safety topics, visit the Newport News Fire Department’s website at www.nngov.com/fire.

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