Burns First Aid for Minor Burns Middle/Upper Primary As part of the inaugural National Burns Awareness Month we are providing all schools with a short lesson plan on first aid for minor burns. National Burns Awareness Month is a joint collaboration between the Julian Burton Burns Trust and Burnaid®. 1

Watch this 70 second video for all the steps of first aid First Aid Steps Watch this 70 second video for all the steps of first aid Remove Cool Cover Seek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qShrpiTidPI Watch the burns first aid youtube video via this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qShrpiTidPI 2

Remove Remove yourself from danger Remove any jewellery/clothing around the burn unless stuck to the skin Remove any clothing & jewellery from area which isn’t stuck to the skin. Clothing and jewellery can hinder the healing process in two ways. Burns will continue to burn the skin until the area cools. Clothing and jewellery can retain heat and can also restrict the body if swelling occurs. Clothing which is stuck to the skin must not be removed as this can cause further damage and expose the wound, leading to infection and heat loss. 3

Cool Cool the burn under cool running water 20 minutes NEVER use ice, oil, butter, toothpaste Cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes. The longer a burn is left untreated, the deeper and more serious it becomes. It is therefore vital that cooling the burn area is the first step in burn 1st aid management. Ideally this should be done under cool running water however if running water is not available, two dampened cloths can be used and alternated as heat will be transferred from the burn area to the cloth quite quickly. If the burn surface area is large ie front or back torso of a child, or full arms, the body may lose heat due to the skin losing its ability to regulate normal body temperature. Children can become cold very quickly if the burn is large. At any sign of shivering or shock the patient should lay down and be loosely covered to keep warm. After cool running water has been used for 20 mins, a cooling hydrogel can be applied to provide further cooling and pain relief, or if there is no water available a hydrogel can be used instead. NEVER use ice, oil, butter, toothpaste, creams or ointments as these can make it worse. If the area burnt is large, a shower head or hose can be used instead of a tap. If there is no access to running water, any body of water (lake/stream) can be used, or bottled water applied via a clean cloth. 4

Cover For minor burns cover with a hydrogel to help relieve the pain Lightly cover the area with a clean dressing or cling wrap to protect the skin If a burn is minor, use a hydrogel to help relieve the pain. Then cover area with clean lint free cloth or if a large burn area, cover loosely with cling wrap. Many burn complications arise as secondary conditions to the burn itself. These are commonly related to shock, or local infection of the wound and surrounding tissue. To reduce the likelihood of infection and to assist the body in retaining body warmth it is advised to cover the burn injury loosely with a plastic cling wrap or clean, lint free cloth. It is important to wrap the area loosely to allow for some swelling of tissue. 5

Seek Seek medical advice if burn is on: Face Hands Lap Feet Or if larger than a 20c coin Seek Medical Advice - If the burn area is deep, is larger than a 20 cent piece or on the face, hands, feet or in the groin area or skin folds or if there is potential damage to the lungs or throat or if the burn was caused by chemicals or electricity. You can call 000, go to your nearest GP or your nearest Emergency Department. 6

National Burns Awareness Month is a joint collaboration between the Julian Burton Burns Trust and Burnaid®. 7