Burns and scalds can be serious business and depending on how severe the burn is, it can ruin people’s lives. Awareness campaigns can help bring about protocols and ways of safely managing what’s around you to prevent fires from happening.
Burn Awareness Week focuses on how people can prevent fires, protect your families, and help raise awareness about the seriousness burns can be on communities all over the world.
History of Burn Awareness Week
Burn Awareness Week helps bring awareness to the dangers of scalds and burns and bring together burn awareness organizations, burn survivor support groups, public safety professionals and injury prevention activists to help others become more educated about the effects burns can have on people’s lives.
According to the American Burn Association, over 300,000 scald burn injuries have happened and been associated with consumer household appliances like stoves, cookware, and bathtubs, leading those to be sent to hospital emergency rooms between 2013 and 2017. The American Burn Association founded this holiday to help prevent the frequency of burn injuries and teach people about the most common causes of burn injuries and how to prevent them.
During the week, people gather to share their stories about surviving burns, teach citizens about the dangers of burns, and improve the lives of families everywhere by giving them the tools necessary to protect their families from fires.
As a federally recognized holiday in the United States, the ABA includes members such as physicians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, researchers, social workers, firefighters, and hospitals with burn centers to help advocate this holiday, teach their local governments about burns, and help others in their local communities prevent fire burns and scalds through fundraisers, proclamations, story sharing, and conferences.
How to Celebrate Burn Awareness Week
If you’re looking to celebrate Burn Awareness Week, begin by speaking with your local mayor, congressman, or governor to share the importance of burn awareness. If you’re part of a company that centers around health and lifestyle, then begin a press conference with your co-workers and plan a fundraiser event towards the cause.
Invite your local community to an open house and share some facts about the frequency of burns in your area. Give out flyers that have tips on how to better prevent burns in your daily life. Bring a survivor to your event to have to speak to your community and share their story.
Share this holiday using the hashtag #burnawarenessweek and encourage your friends to protect yourselves better from fires and scalds.
