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Which Heated Concerns Are the Focus of 2022 National Burn Awareness Week (NBAW)?

Which Heated Concerns Are the Focus of 2022 National Burn Awareness Week (NBAW)?
National Disaster Recovery

“Burning Issues in the Kitchen” — NBAW Promotes Planning and Practice to Keep Cooks and Diners Safe

During the week of February 6 – 12, 2022, the American Burn Association pinpoints attention to the household space most at risk for fire — the kitchen. Considered the heart of your home, the kitchen is also a danger zone as 47% of all home fires involve cooking. NBAW urges everyone to remember the risks inherent during cooking and serving, taking practical steps to avoid tragedy.

What Is the Purpose of Burn Awareness Week?

National Disaster Recovery (NDR) often discusses fire damage prevention and restoration in homes and businesses with readers. We guide property owners to prevent the disruption and expense of fire damage and advise how to obtain effective fire restoration from local companies. During the first full week of February yearly, the American Burn Association also reminds our readers and us at NDR of the terrifying human toll property fires can cause, this year emphasizing what happens when vulnerable individuals face the immediacy and intensity of a kitchen fire.

Are Any Groups Particularly at Risk of Severe Injury or Death from Kitchen Fires?

Although everyone profits from the information shared during Burn Awareness Week, this year the American Burn Association stresses that adults over 65 are much more likely to be in jeopardy because of kitchen fires. Older individuals are vulnerable to cooking mishaps because of visual, hearing, physical, or mental impairment. The relative thinness of aging adult skin exacerbates the chance of significant personal burn injury, leading to the opportunity for faster and deeper burns if exposed to heat, scalding substances, and flames.

Is Prevention the Key to Minimizing Kitchen Fire Human Catastrophes?

Regardless of the age of the cook and any eager sous chefs in your kitchen, preventing a burn injury is always preferable to the pain, terror, and chaos suffered obtaining and enduring medical treatment. Burn prevention strategies urged for everyone gathering in the kitchen include:

-Cooking only when alert and well-rested, unimpaired by alcohol or medication

-Preventing splatter burns with a lid or pan screen

-Attending to the stovetop, oven, and other appliances constantly during the cooking process — even a moment away can mean a massive conflagration

-Keeping a clean stovetop, oven, and exhaust system to minimize grease flareup

-Maintaining a three-foot safe zone around actively cooking food and hot drink or food for kitchen “audience” members, especially heedless and fast-moving children

-Dressing in short or close-fitting clothing during cooking to avoid catching fire to garments

-Learning the judicious use of safe kitchen fire abatement strategies such as closing oven doors, lidding pans, or using fire extinguishers or fire blankets when flames erupt

-Leaving the kitchen and gathering everyone outside without delay if safety strategies do not work immediately, calling first responders for help

Heartbreakingly, the American Burn Association reports that thousands of individuals die yearly from fire and smoke inhalation. Prevention of the great majority of these horrific consequences is possible when following the guidelines shared during the annual Burn Awareness Week. We agree that strict kitchen fire prevention safeguards are the optimal solution for you and your loved ones. If your home does not fare as well after a kitchen fire, check out NDR’s structural fire damage restoration recommendations in your area.

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