National Burn Awareness Week: Tips for Staying Safe
ZANESVILLE, OH—National Burn Awareness Week is observed every year during the first full week of February.
The American Burn Association coordinates the event to raise awareness of burn injuries and their causes. The theme this year is “burn prevention starts where you live, work and play.”
“The federal government says we have 380,000 visits to the emergency room every year for burns,” Zanesville Fire Chief Jeff Bell said. “Children 5 and under are twice as likely to show up with burn injuries, so we want to look in our homes to see where we can lessen those burns.”
Chief Bell says that most burns happen in the kitchen, so taking preventive measures—like setting timers, turning pot handles inward while cooking, and keeping the stove area clear and clean—can help ensure safety. Now that we are in the dead of winter, it’s important to be mindful of heat sources we might not think about as often.
“We want to look at other places and stuff, whether it is space heaters, improperly using extension cords, things like that. We use heat especially in the winter, but we want to make sure we don’t have flammable materials near our heat sources, whether that’s your stoves or your heaters, so give it that good 36 inches of space around it where we don’t have flammable materials,” Chief Bell said.
Be aware of those dangers. Make sure your smoke detectors are working, ensure there’s a set fire escape plan, and make sure all kitchen utensils are proper. Pay attention to the small things, like making sure there are no holes in oven mitts or towels, and avoid using wet towels to remove hot dishes, which can result in steam burns.
