Save your skin & other important parts

I have been working in the burns unit in my internship, which I really enjoy!! I am learning a ton about nutrition for patients with burns. Burns are a nasty injury leaving the body with large open areas which may require multiple surgeries and long hospital stays with a huge risk for infection. This leads me to my topic today, burn injury prevention/fire safety......not exactly a glamours subject, but very important. With fall here and the desire to burn leaves and build bon fires...I feel the need to share some lessons I have learned:

1. Generally all fire/open flame/flammables should be strictly avoided when consuming alcohol or any other mind altering substances!
2. I am rethinking the desire to ever burn a candle in my house...battery operated ones are now preferred.
3. Children less than 5 years old should never be in the kitchen when cooking. No exceptions, get gates, etc to keep your babies out of the kitchen. Burns to small children are devastating and the disfiguring effects are something they will have forever, if they survive.
4. Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors.
5. Don't play with electricity!
6. Don't deep fry your food, grease burns are very nasty (it is bad for your arteries anyway!)
7. Don't smoke, cigarettes can cause fire.....definitely don't smoke if you are on home oxygen or if you are playing with kerosene/gasoline/flammables. (not to mention smoking in general is bad!)
8. If you chose to create open flame in your yard (not recommended) make sure you do so with extreme caution and see #1 for addition concerns!

Here is a link to the National Fire Protection Association if you would like more info:

1. http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=244&URL=Safety%20Information/For%20consumers/Fact%20sheets%20and%20safety%20tips

Stay safe!!