Burn injuries on the rise

Phoo courtesy of showroom411.com

A recent report released by the Children’s Hospital Burn Center in Denver, CO has noticed an alarming trend in the last four years with children and gas fireplaces.

The deceptive piece of glass that separates the flames from the rest of the room can reach temperatures over 500 degrees. At this temperature, a two second contact with a child’s hand could result in sever second to third degree burns.

A representative from Children’s Hospital in Denver reports seeing two to three new patients each week from fireplaces. What is alarming about this trend is the fact that most of these injuries can be prevented.

Beyond simple safety devices, awareness of a child’s actions is important.

First, the safety issue. Most gas fireplaces have a small grated safety grill that fits directly over the exterior of the glass. The small grating allows for efficient dissipation of the heat and an effective barrier to direct contact with the glass. If shopping for a new gas fireplace, make sure this important, but often overlooked piece of equipment is included with the package. If moving into a new residence with a gas fireplace, make every effort to try to find the safety grating. If you are purchasing this home, make its replacement a part of the contract to purchase. If you are renting, make sure that the lease agreement includes the grating. Whether you have young children or grandchildren, pets, or anyone that may be near, the grating will provide the benefit of added safety.

If the appearance of the grating is detracting from the beauty of the fireplace, at least have the option of putting in place when children will be nearby the unit.

The glass on a natural, or wood burning fireplace has the same potential for high temperatures. While a piece of grating is not normally an option produced for natural fireplaces, there are things that can be done.

In many fireplace stores and home improvement centers, a freestanding screen can be purchased that sits in front of the doors. This allows the doors to be open or closed, and an effective barrier to accidental contact is in place. This same screen can be used for gas fireplaces, and may be a more aesthetically pleasing option to the mounted grating directly on the glass.

On last note on the natural or wood burning fireplaces is to make sure the doors are either fully opened or fully closed. This is consistent with most of the fireplace manufacturers’ instructions. Having the doors in a semi-closed/open position allows for the glass to heat unevenly and may cause the doors to shatter due to the uneven heating. When the glass does shatter, it can spray or fly into the room up to fifteen feet. If you have carpeting in the room, it now needs to be replaced, along with the glass. Moreover, if you happen to be a person who likes to be close to the fire, a shower of hot sharp glass is not enjoyable.

The second point is child safety. No matter how closely you monitor you child’s activities, they are curious and a simple turn of the head is all the time that is needed for a tragic event to occur. Remember that children are tactile learners, meaning everything they find interesting they want to touch. A fire behind the glass looks interesting and inviting, but the sense of danger is not always present in young children.

As always, attentive parents are the key to preventing an injury. Telling a child something is hot is a constant action. However, are they given conflicting messages?

Setting a play are in front of an operating fireplace is never the safest or wisest of choices. If your attention is pulled away for a second, disaster can occur. Set the play area away from the fireplace. If there is a group of people also sharing the room, place the adults in the space in front of the fireplace, as more eyes are usually better to protect children.

If the unthinkable happens and a burn injury occurs, remember to run cold water over the burned area for five to ten minutes immediately after the incident. After that, a sterile bandage is preferred, but if a freshly laundered towel is all you have, use that to cover the burned area. There has been debate between wet and dry dressings, with the belief that dry prevents hypothermic reactions, and wet to prevent unnecessary debris from the dressing getting into the wound. Consulting your local burn center’s information center or website will help you in determining the best choice in your area.

Contact 9-1-1 immediately if the burn is to the hands, face or genitals, as these burns are the most critical to treat correctly early on to prevent more serious long-term problems.

If the burn results in the immediate formation of blisters, do not pop the blisters. These blisters are the body’s first and best defense against further injury. If there is skin that peels off, do not pull or try to remove more skin. Leave the injured skin in place, and contact 9-1-1. These burns need to be treated by a burn specialist. Proper treatment immediately pays long-term dividends.

Avoid home remedies. The old wives’ tale of butter for a burn can have serious consequences such as more severe scarring and persistent infections. If the skin’s outer layer is broken, not just reddened, seek out professional treatment from a burn specialist immediately; do not try to treat it using household items. There is a science to properly treating burns.

Our children are precious. Prevention is the most important step in burn injuries. Nevertheless, if a burn injury occurs, seeking out the appropriate treatment is the next important thing we can do. Hand injuries and facial injuries have lasting affects that cannot be understated. A burn center does more than correct the injury. It can also heal the spirit of the injured and their family.

Stay fire safe and thanks for reading.