Burn Center offers fire safety tips
Nov. 29, 2006
The risk of fire is present throughout the year, however, fire experts say
the danger is at its highest in the coming months. December, January and
February are the deadliest months for fires, according to the United States
Fire Administration. The top three days for home fires are Christmas Day,
New Year's Day and Christmas Eve.
About 250 people a year are hospitalized at St. John's Regional Burn Center
due to fire and burn-related injuries. Another 750 receive burns bad enough
to be treated on an outpatient basis.
Burn Center staff encourage families to take safety precautions to help
prevent residential holiday fires.
"Knowing the high-risk situations for fires and burns and taking steps to
make your home safer, you can help protect yourself and your family," says
Debbie Mikkelson, nursing director.
Tips for preventing winter fires:
- Don't leave supplemental heating equipment on while adults and children are
asleep.
- Don't expose electrical outlets and cords or overload outlets.
- Don't leave holiday lights on unattended.
- Water your live Christmas tree frequently. Christmas trees account for 200
fires annually.
- Don't use a lit candle as a holiday tree ornament.
Suggested gift ideas to promote fire safety include:
- Smoke alarms. Smoke alarms and sprinkler systems combined reduce the chance
of dying in a residential fire by approximately 82 percent and injuries by
46 percent.
- Portable fire extinguishers with clear instructions on how to use them.
- Flashlights for emergency lighting instead of candles.
- Large, lighted house numbers so firefighters and EMS can locate a house
during an emergency.
- Carbon monoxide alarms.
About St. John's Regional Burn Center:
St. John's Burn and Wound Center is dedicated to promoting the safety and
health of our community and caring for those who are injured.
Located at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, St. John's Regional Burn
Center treats about 1,000 outpatients and 250 inpatients a year and is the
only burn center in southwest Missouri.
The center has a dedicated
6-surgeon, 25-nurse staff providing excellent, high quality care for
pediatric and adult patients with thermal and electrical burns, traumatic
wounds, complicated skin diseases and specialty burn and wound dressings
only available at the burn center. The center is composed of areas for
intensive care, isolation, intermediate care and rehabilitation. Nurses in
the intensive care section provide 24-hour cardiovascular monitoring and
highly specialized one-on-one nursing care.
Team members helping with the
treatment and recovery of burn patients include physicians from multiple
medical specialties, a burn nurse clinical specialist, nurse clinicians,
primary nurses, technicians, social workers, rehabilitation specialists,
nutritionists and therapists.
FOR
MEDIA INFORMATION, CONTACT ST. JOHN’S MEDIA RELATIONS AT 417-820-2426 OR CSCOTT@SPRG.MERCY.NET.
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