The Chattanooga Fire Department and Erlanger Health System are teaming up for National Burn Awareness Week (February 5-11, 2023) to help prevent burn injuries in our community.
The 2023 National Burn Awareness Week theme is "Scalds: Hot Liquids Burn Like Fire," emphasizing the risk of injury from hot liquids, steam, and hot bath water.
This week aims to provide measures to prevent these injuries and how to best care for those injured.
Erlanger and CFD officials will host a media availability on February 6 at the Chattanooga Fire Station 3 on Francis Street at 10:00am. The event will be an opportunity to discuss this important topic and provide life-saving information to the public.
Important safety tips to prevent scald burns provided by CFD include:
- Set your water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit/48 degrees Celsius or just below the medium setting.Â
- Use a thermometer to test the water from your bath water tap.
- Run your hand through bath water to test for hot spots.
- Use backburners and turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so children cannot pull them down.Â
- Use oven mitts when cooking or handling hot food and drinks.Â
- Stir and test food cooked in the microwave before serving. Open heated containers away from you from back to front.Â
- Keep children away from the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried. Establish a "kid-free zone" of at least three feet.
- Use a travel mug with a tight-fitting lid for all hot drinks.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), scald burns are the second leading cause of all burn injuries.
