hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn December 2018 | Page 20

H AP PY 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 pop your hand under the
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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