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Scott Webb (Host): Burns are common in the summer whether from the sun, grills, fire pits, or even fireworks. And it can be challenging to protect our kids as we enjoy summer relaxation and fun. And joining me today to tell us how we can prevent and treat burns is Ramona Chris. She's a registered nurse and the Coordinator for the Cider Family Burn and Wound Care Center at Wolfson Children's Home.

This is Baptist Health Radio. As the most preferred healthcare provider in Northeast Florida, we're here to help you stay informed with the latest news views and resources for your health and wellbeing. Ramona, thanks so much for your time today. I know as we head into the summer, we're exposed to the sun and we start grilling out.

There's just a variety of ways in which we can burn ourselves, our kids too. So great to have you on some great, free medical advice today, as we head into the sometimes, burnie kind of summer months. So, what are some of the biggest burn hazards as we head into summer?

Ramona Chris, RN (Guest): Well, you know, with people spending more and more time outdoors, especially after Memorial Day, burns can happen in the blink of an eye. A parent can get easily distracted when participating in outdoor activities. And it's often at that moment when their guard is down and that's when the accidents can happen. But avoiding summer burns starts with making sure that you and your kids are prepared to venture out into the sun. Make sure to apply a sweat proof broad spectrum sunscreen with at least an SPF of 35. And, we'd like one that protects against UVA and UVB rays and at least 30 minutes before you and the children go outdoors.

And then of course always reapply after swimming, or if you're profusely sweating. There's also UVA clothing out now. So that's a great option as well. And it's never too early for a child to wear sungasses this is to protect their corneas from a burn.

Host: Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And, you know, as a parent of two kids, myself, when we would head out into the sun for outdoor summer ish sort of activities, you know, it can be a bit of a production, right? Kids don't want the sunscreen, mom and dad have to do it for them. And there's just every good reason though, as I'm telling my 14 year old now, uh, she's going to go on vacation to Arizona. I said, please put sunscreen on, and she kind of rolls her eyes at me and I said, you'll thank me later. Right. When you get older, you'll thank me that your skin will still be in good shape, avoiding those sunburns when you're young, or as you say, protecting your eyes when you're young, all that stuff sort of pays off when we get older right?

Ramona: Absolutely. And getting sunburned is only one of the risks that come along with spring and summer activities, we're talking about gas grills. That could be a huge potential danger. I like to remind parents to be sure that the grill is used in a properly ventilated area to create a three foot. safety barrier around the grill for children.

We recommend that in the home too around the stove, just use brightly colored tape, tape a three foot barrier and teach your children and older children as well not to go into that zone. That's the accident zone, even when the gas grill is not lit and some of the most painful burns that we see seen children are accidental touching of the hot grill. Be sure to counsel your kids around grills, campfires, bonfires, that's where a lot of the flash injuries occur when you're outside, maybe camping or having a day outside, 70% of campfire burns are caused by the embers rather than the flames and fire pits remain hot enough to cause a severe burn for up to 12 hours after they'd been extinguished.

So remember create that safety circle at least three feet from the edges of the fire pits and the campfires, even long after the fire has been put out. There's one more hidden danger that some parents may not consider and that is the risk of a burn on common playground equipment and the searing summer sun surfaces like slides and walkways can reach up to 200 degrees or more. So, really keep an eye out for the children, make sure that you have touched the surface to make sure that it's okay for bare feet or bare skin to be on.

Host: What are some of the other burn hazards? You know, when kids are home alone, whether it's cooking water, heaters, irons, all that sort of thing?

Ramona: Right. And one of the things that we always recommend, just like outdoors for the three foot safety barrier, we want to have that in the kitchen, around the microwave and around the stove. If you're cooking, turn the handles to the back of the stove, never use the front burner. If children are trying to use the microwave themselves, maybe have an adult do that only because the majority of the burns that we see in emergency room are from hot noodles. Like ramen noodles where kids are trying to themselves. The other thing that parents could do is maybe find a way to install the microwave at a lower level, so it's not over a child's head, it's at their waist level, and then they can pull it up and put it on a table themselves.

Host: Yeah, that's good advice. And I know as we get into the summer months here, especially as we get closer to the 4th of July, , folks are gonna want to start using fireworks. Right? What are your suggestions when it comes to fireworks and especially more serious stuff. They're really flashy, bright, kind of stuff that shoots out. What advice would you have for parents and kids?

Ramona: I guess my first statement would be avoid the use of fireworks altogether to leave that for the professionals. But, you know, there are no safe fireworks and it's probably not very realistic to not have fireworks at some point. So, be prepared. Make sure that you are creating a blast zone that is away from structures, people, dry grass, and other flammable items.

Designate an adult, as the safety person and then another adult, as the shooter of the fireworks. So let the children enjoy the show, not be a part of it. Make sure that the shooter is not wearing loose clothing, have a flashlight in the area so that the shooter can see what they're doing.

Never stand over an item that doesn't fire, never of course throw fireworks. And lastly, probably. The most helpful tip I can say is if you don't have a fire extinguisher or a hose nearby, make sure that you have a bucket of water nearby. So if there's an accident, you can drop the firework in there, or you can douse the burn patient, with some cool water and start to stop the burning process.

Host: yeah, That's great advice. And along those lines, I was going to ask you, you know, what do we do if a parent gets burned, a child gets burned, obviously having some water, fire extinguisher, things like that nearby, what else do you recommend? And when should we know, or when will we know that a burn is serious enough to go to the hospital?

Ramona: Um, That's a good question and there's lots of home remedies out there, but some very straightforward information that we can provide on burns. And first of all, remove any kind of clothing, diaper, jewelry, any kind of foreign material off the burned area. We tell patients and families to assess the five Ps and that is pain, palor, paralysis, parasthesia and pulselessness, and that just means take a look, get an idea from your child, how they're feeling and, we'd like parents to elevate their head, if you could, and elevate any extremity that's involved.

And here's something that most families aren't aware of, and that please don't apply any ointment, no cream, no dressing to the burn. We just want it to be clean and dry. So cover them with a clean, dry sheet or towel and get them to the nearest emergency room as quickly as possible. Children have a relatively large surface area to mass ratio.

So they are more susceptible to hypothermia. So even if it's 95 degrees outside, if they have a really significant burn, they can get hypothermic very quickly. So you want to keep them warm, cover the burn with clean, dry cloth of some kind and get to the emergency room.

Host: Yeah, that's perfect. And, this has been so informative today. I've really appreciated your time. As we wrap up Ramona, what would be your just sort of overarching advice for parents as we head into the summer between you know, sunburns and fire pits and campgrounds and fireworks and all the things that we need to have on our minds, what would be your advice?

Ramona: Well, every year, over 50,000 children across the US are treated in emergency rooms for burn related injuries. With regards to age group versus a mechanism of injury, younger children are more likely to have burns from scalds and then older children are more likely to have flame burns. So as you can see that zone of safety and awareness is probably the most important advice I could give anyone.

Host: Yeah, that's awesome. The zone of safety. Great conversation today. Thanks so much. And you stay well.

Ramona: Thank you. You too. Pleasure being here.

Host: The Porter Family Children's Trauma Center at Wolfson Children's Hospital is prepared 24/7 to treat children with the most serious illnesses and injuries, including burns. If your child's injury or illness is life-threatening call 911. For more information, visit Wolfsonchildren's.com/emergency.

And thank you for listening to Baptist Health Radio. I'm your host, Scott Webb. Stay well.