Nature:  National Burn Awareness Week – Preventing Flammable Liquid Burn Injuries

Dates:  February 4 thru 10, 2024

Topic:  Enhance awareness for preventing flammable liquid burn injuries

The Indian River Volunteer Fire Company offers this commentary to enhance awareness during the National Burn Awareness Week by sharing a common burn awareness and prevention message within our communities.

• Burn injuries continue to be one of the leading causes of accidental death and injury in our Nation where tragically, children, the elderly, and the disabled are especially vulnerable to burn injuries. 

To date, almost one-third of all burn injuries occur in children under the age of 15.

• Children under five were 2.0 times as likely to be seen for burn injuries at a hospital emergency department.

• Young adults from 20 to 29 had 1.4 times the risk, and

• Adults in the 30-39 age group had 1.3 times the risk of the general population.

The primary causes of injury include fire-flame, scalds, contact with hot objects, and electrical and chemicals. Most of the injuries occur in the home.

Today, 96.8% of those who suffer burn injuries will survive. Unfortunately, many of those survivors will sustain serious scarring, life-long physical disabilities, and adjustment difficulties.

The National Burn Awareness Week is an initiative of the American Burn Association, with coming together of burn, fire, and life safety educators to make the public aware of the frequency, devastation, and causes of burn injury as well as consistent and authoritative measures to prevent these injuries and how to best care for those that are injured.

This theme for the 2024 National Burn Awareness Week is “Preventing Flammable Liquid Burn Injuries.” It’s crucial to educate people about safety measures to avoid burns caused by flammable liquids.

Prevention is the key to promote safety.