Fire Safety Week: Burn Prevention

October 4-10th is Fire Safety Week across the states and I thought that I would take this opportunity to raise a little fire safety throughout the week. Today's focus is going to be on burn prevention. While some of these tips may seem like common knowledge, many people are still unaware and adults and children are still getting injured.

• Keep hot foods/liquids away from the edge of a table or counter top. We all know that curious children will pull on whatever is there and become a burn victim.


• Have a 3 ft "kid free" zone around the stove. My son knows that he has to stand behind a certain spot if I'm opening the oven or working with food on the stove.


• NEVER hold a child/baby in your arms while preparing hot food or drinking hot liquid. I see this one all the time! How many moms have you seen drink coffee while wearing their infants in a sling or carrier? Too many! Accidents happen and hot coffee spilled on an infant's head could be extremely dangerous. I know that these moms are not deliberately putting their children at risk but we all need to share this info and educate each other.


• Teach children about things that are hot. While we usually do this for food, stoves, and other kitchen appliances we often forget about hair dryers, curling irons, and heaters. We used the sign for hot and taught our son way before he could speak about what was hot and what was cool.


• Set the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be hot enough to take hot showers, dishes etc. but will reduce the amount of burn damage if a child accidentally turns on the hot water.

While these are only a few tips I am curious as to what tips or tricks you use around the house to teach your kids about fire/burn safety? Take a few minutes today and go over some age appropriate points with your kids. You won't be sorry.