Launch: National Burn Awareness Day – 19th October 2016 #BeBurnsAware

Prevention and good first aid are key to reducing the number of burns and scalds occurring each year, especially in children and the elderly. This year we are working with the British Burn Association (BBA) to grow the momentum and reach of National Burn Awareness Day 2016 which is being held on the 19^th October.

The event already has the support of, amongst others, Child Accident Prevention Trust, Electrical Safety First, the Government’s Fire Kills campaign and the Chief Fire Officers Association and support for the day continues to grow.

Paul Fuller, Chief Fire Officer of Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Children’s Burns Trust Chair of Trustees says: “In one month alone over 550 children aged 0-19 were admitted to hospital in June 2016 with burn injuries, many with scalds. So many of these accidents are preventable: being aware of the potential hazards in your home is the first step, then acting to stop these risks leading to serious injuries. Remember, young children don’t know to pull away from heat, and a baby’s skin is 15 times thinner than an adult’s – a burn or scald at this age could need years of repeated surgery as the child grows, because scarred tissue does not grow with them. National Burn Awareness Day is an excellent way to raise awareness and prevent these terrible accidents occurring.”

Some of the events which took place last year which were organised across the UK included:

• Information stands, both in the hospitals and the community;
• Members of burns teams, child safeguarding agencies & healthcare professionals visiting schools to raise awareness;
• Activities organised and posters displayed at children’s centres and GP surgeries;
• Social media, press, local TV and radio coverage;
• Fire & Rescue Service & St John’s Ambulance involvement at events;
• Burns related First Aid training provided to Fire Cadets;
• Contact with local councils and schools requesting that details of the day be emailed to parents.

We are looking to grow support of National Burn Awareness Day in 2016 and have put together a toolkit which has been designed to provide you with information that may be helpful to you in setting up activities and events in support of the day. You can access the Toolkit here – CBT Toolkit.

Please do let us know the events and activities you have planned so we can promote this to our network, you can e-mail us or tweet us using the #BeBurnsAware @CBTOfficial. The cumulative impact of targeted activities taking place across the country will help to raise awareness of the shocking number of people burned each and every day – the vast majority of which are preventable and promote good first aid.

For more information on this years National Burn Awareness Day, please do not hesitate to contact us.