BENTON COUNTY, Wash.—With over 200,000 people injured from burns in 2020, it illustrates the importance of prevention education to keep both adults and kids safe from possible burn accidents.
“Burns affect people of all ages. Burn and fire prevention education can never start too early,” said Burn Institute’s executive director, Susan Day.
According to a Facebook post by the Benton County Fire District #4, 276,086 people received medical treatment for unintentional burn injuries in 2020, with 3,028 deaths from fire and smoke inhalation in the United States.
According to Children’s Health, parents and guardians can take steps to lower the risk of a burn accident.
Keep pots and pans towards the back of the stove where littles cannot reach them.Set the temperature on water heaters to 120 degrees or less.Always use sunscreen to avoid sunburns.Store hot curling irons on wall mounts or in ceramic jars.Keep electrical cords and space heaters out of reach of children.
If a child accidentally burns themselves, it is important to identify the seriousness of the burn.
A First Degree Burn only affects the top layer of the skin and will turn red and hurt.
A Second Degree Burn will blister because it burns the outer and underlying layers of the skin.
A Third-degree Burn damages multiple layers of the skin, making the skin look white or charred. These burns affect the nerve endings, causing the child to lose feeling in that area.
Children’s Health says you should bring your child to the hospital if the injury comes from an electrical burn or if the skin looks charred, leathery, or burned away. Take your child in if the skin also has no feeling, if blister or swollen burn areas cover an area larger than the size of the child’s hand, or if there are burns on the hand, foot, face, genitals, or over a joint.
For more information on burn prevention or how to treat burns, visit Children’s Health for tips and advice.
