Category Archives: Burn Injuries

Residential fires and blazes caused by auto accidents are common causes of serious burn injuries in adults, but young children face a different threat: for children under the age of 14, the most common cause of serious burn injury is from scalding liquids. Hot tap water from the faucets can cause third degree burns if the temperature reaches 140 degrees. These scalding accidents are mostly likely to occur in the kitchen or bathroom and most frequently happen when a parent or caregiver is in a hurry, angry or under a lot of stress. To prevent scalding and burn injuries, follow these steps: Adjust your hot water heater so that the maximum temperature is 125 degrees or less. This is still hot enough to scald, but the risk of serious third degree burn is lower. Always supervise children in the kitchen and bathroom. Keep pot and pan handles facing the back…
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The Post and Courier reported a story a few weeks ago of a firefighter who suffered burn injuries when he was working in a fire-gutted house, noting that the city of Charleston has experienced 85 suspicious fires since 2002. Earlier this week, our blog discussed the importance of having working smoke alarms in your house and checking them regularly. There is another important component for families to ensure their safety in the event of a residential fire: having a safety plan in place. What are the basic steps to protect your family? Draw a floor plan of every level of your home. The goal is to find two ways to escape for each room. This will typically be the door and a window. For upstairs rooms, review the ways to get to the first floor as well as escape through the upper windows. For upstairs bedrooms, consider purchasing fire escape ladders,…
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As the summer approaches, fires become more common across the country. The Centers for Disease Control states that although smoke alarms can reduce indicants of burn injuries and death by over 50 percent, a large portion of home have smoke alarms installed that currently do not work. We have all experienced that annoying, chirping sound when the battery goes low, and dead batteries are by far the main cause of smoke alarm failures. Have you replaced your batteries lately and checked to make sure your smoke detector is in good working order? For proper smoke alarm maintenance, follow these tips: Install alarms on every floor of your house, including the basement and every bedroom. Modern smoke detectors can be interconnected so that when one goes off, it will set them all off. Check the alarms monthly by using the “test” button, and replace the batteries once a year. The smoke…
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