2023 Fire Safety Initiatives

Burn Awareness Week

February 5 – 11, 2023

Burn Awareness Week is an opportunity to learn about burn hazards in the home. This year's theme, "Hot Liquids Burn Like Fire," focuses on bringing awareness to preventing scald injuries.

Burn injuries continue to be one of the leading causes of accidental death and injury where tragically, children, the elderly, and the disabled are especially vulnerable to burn injuries, and almost one-third of all burn injuries occur in children under the age of 15.

Scald and burn safety

When using taps, turn the COLD water on first, and then add HOT water. Reverse when turning water off; turn off the HOT water first, then the COLD water.
Warning: Handle with Care! Microwaved food can be hot enough to cause a burn. Always open lids away from your body.
Be very careful when drinking HOT liquids, especially around children. At 60 C (140 F) it takes less than five seconds to get a third-degree burn. Children and older adults, by virtue of their thinner skin, sustain serve burns at lower temperatures and in less time than an adult.
Discuss the dangers around a stove. Teach children to never touch anything on the stove or to open the oven.
Kitchen and appliance safety is important in every household. Burns received in the kitchen are usually a result of scalds from hot foods or liquids, or contact burn from hot appliances.
Establish a “kid-free zone: of at least 3 feet (1 meter) around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
When taking food out of the oven, always wear oven mitts to prevent scald injuries.
Although tableware is not itself used for cooking, it often holds very hot food, soups or drinks and may itself be very hot.
More than half of people injured in fire involving cooking equipment were hurt while attempting to fight the fire themselves.
Within seconds of a burn injury, the burned area should be placed in, or flushed with, cool water. Keep the burned area in the cool water for 10 to 15 minutes. NEVER use ice, ointments or butter.

For more information visit Burn Awareness Week | Burn Fund – BC Professional Fire Fighters Association Burn Fund.