HAPPY H E A R T S First Aid Tips
By Sammy Davies
With Christmas around the corner, I felt overwhelmed with
choice as to what First Aid topic to write about this month.
Unfortunately, research shows that the
excitement of the festive period also brings
a greater risk of accident and injury. Food or
alcohol poisoning, falling down a cluttered
staircase and choking… there are lots of
potentially dangerous situations where your
First Aid muscles might need flexing.
So please excuse me from sounding like the
Christmas Grinch, but this month we will focus
on burns and scalds.
From feeling rushed when cooking in the
kitchen, to a set of faulty Christmas lights,
or even lighting the fire or Christmas candle-
there are plenty of potential hazards and
opportunities for burns or scalds to occur. For
example, The Royal Society for the Prevention
of Accidents state that you are 50% more
likely to die in a house fire at Christmas than
any other time of the year (2017). Effective
First Aid treatment for burns is essential, and
(thankfully) pretty straight forward. Here’s a
reminder for you:
Cool. Remove any constrictive clothing or
jewellery, unless it is stuck to the wound. Place
affected area under cool running water for
10-20 minutes. If you are anything like me, after
a minor burn on an oven tray for example, you
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pop your hand under the
tap for a grand total of about 90 seconds and
think “oh that feels okay now”. You remove it,
and very soon afterwards the pain returns. This
is because the cool running water is stopping
the burning process. So even though 10-20
minutes seems like a long time, it is time well
spent; Especially for serious burns, or those to
children and the elderly.
Call. Depending on the age of the casualty,
and the size and degree of the burn, you
may need to call 999. If you are unsure, call
111 and speak to a fully trained advisor. All
chemical and electrical burns must go to
hospital, as do burns to the face, hands, feet
and groin area.
Cover. Covering the burn with a clean sheet
of cling film will decrease the risk of infection.
Keep the casualty warm.
Hopefully I have not put the “festive fear” into
you, but instead this advice of COOL CALL
COVER has been a good little reminder when
we all have so many other things on our plates.
If you would like some more Christmas Safety
Tips, the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Accidents is a great website to check out.
www.rospa.com
@happyheartsfirstaid
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