Mount Prospect, IL – As the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) observes Burn Awareness Week, which runs February 1-7, 2016, the nonprofit organization encourages Illinois residents to follow burn prevention guidelines to put an end to costly burn injuries and deaths.
For 2016, the theme for Burn Awareness Week is scald injury prevention. The weeklong national advocacy campaign provides an opportunity for burn, fire and life safety educators to unite in sharing a common burn awareness and prevention message in their communities.
“Over 450,000 burn injuries requiring medical attention occur in the United States each year. That’s equal to one burn injury every 70 seconds,” says Philip Zaleski, Executive Director of the IFSA. “Children and older adults are at a higher risk for burn injuries due to their cognitive and motor skills, dependence on others, and inability to easily escape danger.”
“In particular, scald burns account for nearly 34 percent of all burn center admissions. Sixty-two percent of those scald burn admissions were for children five years old and younger.”
The American Burn Association’s (ABA) National Scald Injury Prevention Campaign website, www.FlashSplash.org, promotes the scald prevention message, “It can happen in a flash with a splash: Liquid and steam burn like fire.” Below are a few of ABA’s safety tips to prevent scald burns and injuries:
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Set water heater temperatures no higher than 120°F and test temperatures before bathing.
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Do not leave children unattended in bathtubs or allow them to sit near faucet handles.
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Create a “no kid zone” in the kitchen around stoves and ovens; place pots and pans on back burners with handles turned away from edges.
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Stir, test food in microwave before serving; open heated containers away from you, back to front.
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Use travel mugs with tight-fitting lids for hot drinks; keep hot drinks away from edges of tables and counters.
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Do not allow appliance cords (slow cookers, deep fryers, coffeemakers) to dangle over counters.
The IFSA also stresses the importance of fire safety, cooking safety, and other measures that prevent burns to infants, children and adults.
“The annual cost of burn injuries and deaths in the United States equates to hundreds of millions of dollars. However, we as a society have the tools and resources to make a difference in preventing burn injuries and deaths, as well as the staggering property damage and medical costs associated with them. We must spread the prevention message, use the knowledge, and practice it in our daily lives,” adds Zaleski.Since 1982, the IFSA has promoted programs and distributed information related to fire safety and burn prevention, while also providing free support programs for burn survivors. Some of those annual no-cost programs include “Camp I Am Me” burn camp for Illinois children ages eight to 16, a Young Adult Summit for burn-injured persons between the ages of 18 and 25, and a Family Day event for families with burn-injured children up to 12 years old.
Visit www.IFSA.org to learn more about preventing burn injuries and how the IFSA helps burn survivors.
ABOUT THE ILLINOIS FIRE SAFETY ALLIANCE: Since 1982, the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has been promoting and disseminating fire safety and burn prevention materials and resources. The IFSA also hosts a variety of support programs for burn survivors including the Young Adult Summit, Family Day, and Camp “I Am Me,” a unique weeklong camp for children who have experienced severe burn injuries. For more information, visit www.IFSA.org.
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