Kids Learn About Burn Safety

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

The kids at Ute Perkins Elementary had some special guests visit the school last week to give a presentation for National Burn Awareness Week.

On Tuesday, Feb. 5, Logandale resident Megan Draney and Las Vegas resident Kim Coston spoke to the students about burn prevention. Both women are nurses in the burn unit at the University Medical Center hospital in Las Vegas. Also in attendance were volunteers from the Moapa Valley Fire District Station #72 in Moapa.

With the kids gathered in the school cafeteria, Draney and Coston spoke about the work they do in the UMC burn center, and some of the injuries they had seen there that might have been prevented.
Draney said that the burn unit cares for patients of all ages. But there are a lot of children that come because they have been severely burned.

“We love to come out and do these presentations and see you here in school,” Draney said. “But we don’t really want to see you in the hospital where we work; because that means that something bad has happened and you might be hurt. That isn’t fun at all.”

Draney discussed everyday things kids should be cautious about to prevent burn injuries.
“What are some things that you think of that are hot?” she asked the children.
“Me!” shouted one young man to laughter from the crowd.

But others named things like ovens, stoves, pots and pans, campfires, exhaust pipes on motorcycles and ATVs and more.
“The tricky thing is that some of these things are not always hot,” Coston said. “So you have to be very careful about touching them all the time, because you never know. If you are not sure, just don’t touch them at all. Or ask an adult first.”

The two women spent some time talking about safety around campfires or bonfires. They warned kids that matches and lighters are not toys and they urged them to never throw anything into the fire.
“Fires are really cool but they can be very dangerous,” Draney said. “We have a lot of kids come see us in the hospital because they weren’t being safe with fire.”

A particularly busy time of year in the burn center is around July 4th, Draney said. “We see lots of people because they have been playing with fireworks and aren’t being safe,” she said. “When kids play with fireworks they think it is a fun toy and it won’t hurt them. But we have lots of kids visit us because they caught themselves on fire with fireworks. So you have to be careful!”

Coston explained some simple steps on how to take care of burn wounds. “If you do get burned, make sure you wash it with soap and water only,” she said. “No using butter, or mayonaise, or oil or anything like that. Just plain water and soap. And if you get a blister, just leave it there for now. That is your body’s way of healing. It is a natural band-aid.”

After the presentation, the kids were all invited to go outside and see a fire engine and a wildland firefighting vehicle parked out in front of the school. Station #72 Chief Adam Smith spent time interacting with the kids, allowing them to ask questions and to walk around the trucks looking at all the equipment used in firefighting.

Draney said that she had arranged the presentation in coordination with the MVFD. She was particularly interested in wharing the information because her own children attend the school.
“I remember when I was little we had the fire department come out and go over fire safety and things,” she said. “I just felt like it would be a good reminder for these guys – especially since they haven’t had an assembly for a while (due to the pandemic) – to reiterate fire safety and burn prevention. So we have been happy to be here today.”