First Aid Emergency for Burns

Fires are more common than most of us imagine. I hate to think about what I would do should my kid get burned severely! Would I know what to do first?
In the event that there is a fire or an incident in which you sustain a thermal burn injury or injuries, there are many factors to consider depending upon the circumstances.
To begin with, if you are involved in a naked flame incident as a result of which your clothes are on fire, the first thing that you must do is put the fire out. If you are doing this for yourself, the normal recommendation is to ‘stop, drop and roll' to extinguish the flames.
If on the other hand it is someone else whose clothes are on fire, either encourage them to follow the same routine or try to wrap them in a blanket or large towel to extinguish the flames. This works even better if the blanket or towel is damp.
Once the flames had been extinguished, remove any burnt clothing and if at all possible, remove yourself or the person you are helping from the vicinity of risk if that has not happened already.
The next step is to try to bring the injured skin area under control but in doing this, you need to apply a degree of care. This is because whilst applying cool water to the burned area within the first 30 seconds or so can limit the severity and extent of the burn damage, the water cannot be too cold and you should certainly never use ice.
Water that is too cold or ice applied to a burn wound could potentially encourage hypothermia in a patient whose burn injury is sufficiently serious and deep. In addition, applying ice to the wounded area could worsen the extent of the damage as well. For these reasons, you should only use cool water.
Finally, when you are attending someone else who appears to have been badly burned, your main focus whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive should be on keeping them both warm and still. As suggested previously, someone who has suffered third degree burns is in danger of losing body heat (particularly if the burns are extensive) and movement is not recommended.
These are just the steps you should take until the ambulance arrives!

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Avoiding Burns By Ultraviolet Light

It is one thing to get a suntan but ultraviolet light can also give us and our kids a severe burn. The most common source of ultraviolet light to which you are likely to be exposed is the sun. Under normal circumstances, the risk posed by the rays of the sun is likely to be limited as (for example) you are only out in it for less than an hour or two every day, and you are fully clothed as well.
It is nevertheless a fact that for most people, a vacation almost always involves getting out in the sunshine, which significantly increases the risk of suffering sunburn. The fact is, the majority of pale skinned Westerners are simply not designed to stay out in the sun for extended periods of time, so if this description fits, it is an extremely important factor that you must pay heed to.
The safest and easiest way of avoiding sunburn is of course to avoid the sun altogether. However, assuming that there are certain times when this is not something that you really want to do, it is absolutely essential that you take appropriate precautions to avoid getting burned.
For example, the sun is at its hottest between the hours of 10am and 4am, meaning that it makes sense to avoid going out in the sunshine during these hours. There is far less likelihood of the misery of sunburn if you go out earlier or later rather than risking the full heat of the day.
Instead, sit in the shade with an ice cold drink in front of you and watch the world go by as the chances are that you will find this every bit as relaxing as sunbathing.
And even if you do get outside before or after the sun is at its hottest, you should use protective creams or lotions at a minimum (protective clothing is even better) and you must always wear a protective hat as well.
At the same time, you should also be aware that the majority of commercially produced sun protection products contain potentially harmful chemicals such as titanium dioxide (which the International Agency for Cancer Research suggest is a possible human carcinogen), and that this even applies to specialized sun protection products that are sold as ‘baby' suntan lotions!
If therefore you want to get out in the sun but minimize the risk of getting burned whilst doing so, I would recommend that you use only a natural sun protection product which you know does not contain potentially harmful chemicals.

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