ORLANDO, Fla. — The first week of February is national burn awareness week. The initiative, spearheaded by the National Burn Association, aims to raise awareness of the risks of fire in homes, schools, and workplaces.
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“I was screaming. I had kind of screamed and ran into the bathroom, and my husband didn’t know what happened,” said Amber Wilcox, who survived a burn incident in her kitchen in 2020. “I was baking hot caramel. Actually, I put it into a glass baking dish, and the glass baking dish exploded all over both hands and both legs; I burned about 20% of my body.”
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After undergoing two skin surgeries at Orlando Health’s Burn Center, Wilcox is now using her experience to bring awareness about the topic.
“They took the skin from my left leg and gave it to my right. I was in the hospital for only about a week, but my recovery was much longer than that,” she said.
“I’ve met a lot of other survivors that have had kitchen accidents; some, unfortunately, did have children that had these types of accidents happen to them. And as a mom, you never want a child to have to go through what I went through.”
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Wilcox is far from alone. The latest numbers from the CDC show that almost 400,000 fire—or burn-related injuries were reported in 2021.
“They end up staying in the hospital anywhere from a few days to a few to several. Months, depending upon how severe and extensive the injury is,” said Dr. Howard Smith, Burn Services Director, Orlando Health ORMC.
At the facility, they see upwards of 3,000 patients each year, some with serious conditions—and most cases could’ve been prevented.
“I think the most, is that it’s not going to be that severe. It’ll never happen to me, and I don’t have to worry about it,” said Dr. Smith.
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This year’s burn awareness week is focused on preventing burns at home, and the experts at Orlando Health are sharing important tips that could save your life.
“The next thing to do is get rid of their clothing and things like that involved in the area. Get that stuff off. Rinse off with water so you get it so you’re clean and you stopped any burning process and then seek medical attention,” said Dr. Smith. “The best thing in a kitchen to use to put out a fire is a fire blanket.
They’re readily available online nowadays and in a lot of stores. And you just open up the food, pull it out of the door, open it up, and throw it over the fire. That usually smothers the fire and puts it out.”
One final thing—if you’re using your microwave to cook, make sure whatever container you’re using is cooking-safe. Don’t forget to protect your hands, and never use metal products.
You should always have a fire extinguisher handy if push comes to shove.
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