Local fire service puts burn week focus on scaldings in the home
By Medicine Hat News on February 6, 2020.
About 84 per cent of burns due to scalding take place in the home, and Medicine Hat Fire Services wants you to be aware of necessary precautions. It is National Burn Awareness week. Burns can happen in a flash and according to the American Burn Association these injuries often involve children. “If you think liquid and steam isn’t dangerous, think again,” said Curtis Noble, fire prevention officer Medicine Hat Fire Service. “It only takes two seconds of exposure to (148 F/64 C) water to cause a burn serious enough to require surgery.” Sometimes it is the result of inadequate supervision and the perception of risk that result in a burn. Noble’s prevention tips include setting your water heater to a temperature of 48 C or just below the medium setting. Use a thermometer to test the heat of the water coming out of your faucet into the bath and run your hand through the bath water to test for “hot” spots. When you are in the kitchen, Noble says, there are some specific precautions particularly around the cooking area. Use the back burners and turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so children cannot pull them down. Use oven mitts when cooking or handling hot food and drinks. Containers of heated food should always be opened with the lid turned away from you. When you heat something in the microwave, stir and test food before serving. Keep children away from the stove when cooking by using a safety gate for younger children and marking with tape a 3-foot “no-kid zone” for older children, said Noble. When you have hot drinks place them well into the centre of a table/counter – away from the edge. You should consider not using tablecloths and place mats that could provide children something to pull on and potentially bring hot food or drink toward them. Nobel suggests using a travel mug with a tight-fitting lid for all hot drinks to avoid spills, and says never to hold or carry a child while you have a hot drink in your hand. 11-10
