A woman was home in her apartment with her 4 children (all under the age of 5) when an enormous explosion occurred. The fire Marshall determined that the gas line in back of the stove had corroded and cracked. Gas escaped through the crack. From a physics standpoint the concentration…
The cold weather blanketing much of the United States in this first week of February is causing many incidents of fire as people try to keep warm. For instance, in suburban New York, five firefighters were hospitalized with smoke inhalation after battling a basement house fire. One of those firefighters…
Is a temporary skin substitute that is man made. It is a white stretchable dressing that is made from a silicone layer and a nylon fabric to which collagen has been chemically bounded. Biobrane is used to cover the site of a burn wound like second and third degree burns…
In a blog post about ten days back, I talked about the need to check your home for potential fire hazards on a regular basis. Red flags that come to mind right away are extension cords on carpets, space heaters too close to furniture or clothing, and candles left to…
A family moved into an apartment that contained a free standing oven with a stove cook top. When they moved into the apartment the oven was filthy. The super of the building refused to clean the oven. An 11 year old girl decided to help her mother by cleaning the…
When the frightening possibility of receiving a 3rd-degree burn enters into most people’s minds, they tend to think that such a severe burn can only be gotten from having a flame touch the skin for several seconds or more. But the possibility of getting a burn that penetrates and does…
Psychological issues that burn patients may deal with may include anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Employers and supervisors can provide support to the burn victims by: Written job instruction provision. Positive praise and reinforcement. Long term and short term goals establishment. Developing good strategies to deal with problems…
In a small town in England last week, a man was saved from his burning car by firefighters. But it was the fimmediate action of paramedics in getting the man fitted with an oxygen mask and breathing pure oxygen that just as likely saved his life too. The man, who…
A mother of 3 fell asleep, on the living room couch, with her infant in her arms. Her 2 other elementary school age children went to sleep in their room. While she slept, in the early morning hours, her 6 year old son played with either a lighter or matches.…
In one of my posts last week, I mentioned a fatal fire that started because an extension cord had shorted out and set fire to clothes that were laying on top of it. This is a very preventable type of fire–but it can be prevented only when people living in…