CFD And Erlanger Partner For National Burn Awareness Week

The Chattanooga Fire Department and Erlanger Health System are working together to put a spotlight on National Burn Awareness Week (February 6-12, 2022). The theme for this year’s campaign- “Burning Issues in the Kitchen!” - was selected to help prevent scald burns and distracted cooking. Nearly half (47%) of all home fires are caused by cooking. National Burn Awareness Week, an initiative of the American Burn Association, is a 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 who are injured. Erlanger and CFD officials spoke to the media on Thursday to discuss this important topic and provide life-saving information to the public. Regena Young, the Outreach and Injury Prevention Coordinator with Trauma Services at Erlanger, was joined by CFD Deputy Chief of Operations Rick Boatwright, who is the IAFF 14^th District Burn Coordinator. Firefighter Allen Green, the CFD’s Fire & Life Safety Educator, also spoke with media representatives.

In 2021, the Chattanooga Fire Department worked more than 200 structure fires, including 67 cooking-related fires. Erlanger treated 348 patients for burns in varying severities in 2021 through the health system’s seven emergency departments. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), US fire departments responded to an estimated average of 172,900 home structure fires per year started by cooking activities in 2014-2018. These fires caused an average of 550 civilian deaths, 4,820 reported civilian fire injuries, and more than $1 billion in direct property damage per year. Ranges or cooktops were involved in 61% of reported home cooking fires, 87% of cooking fire deaths and 78% of cooking fire injuries. Unattended cooking was the leading cause of cooking fires and casualties. More than one-quarter of the people killed by cooking fires were sleeping at the time. More than half of the non-fatal injuries occurred when people tried to control the fire themselves.

Burn prevention efforts can be combined with fire prevention efforts to reduce cooking-related burns.  Here are some important safety tips:

• Never leave the stove unattended!
• Stay alert! The best time to cook is when you are wide awake, not drowsy.
• Prevent splatter burns! Use a pan lid to prevent splatter burns.
• Dress appropriately when cooking. Wear short or close-fitting sleeves.
• Keep your stovetop clear. Always wipe clean the stove, oven and exhaust fan to prevent grease buildup.
• Keep children safe in the kitchen. Have a “kid-free zone” of at least three feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
• Monitor your appliances. After cooking, check the kitchen to make sure all burners and other appliances are turned off.

Burn injuries continue to be one of the leading causes of accidental death and injury in our nation. Tragically, children, the elderly, and the disabled are especially vulnerable to burn injuries. Annually, in the United States, approximately 400,000 people receive medical care for treatment of burn injuries. In 2018 alone, there were 3,655 deaths from fire and smoke inhalation and another 40,000 people were treated in hospitals for burn related injuries. The primary causes of injury include fire-flame, scalds, contact with hot objects, 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. Burn safety education and prevention efforts continue to reduce the number of people who suffer burns each year. Many people devote their lives and careers to treating, caring for, supporting and rehabilitating burn injury survivors, including those performing vital work in burn research and development.  There are dedicated firefighters who risk their own lives every day to protect others, as well as burn foundations and other life safety professionals who promote burn injury awareness and prevention.

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