Burn Awareness Week is a kick-off to a year-long educational campaign from Shriners Hospitals for Children®. The 2012 campaign is Be Burn Aware and focuses on teaching children safety tips that will help keep them safe from burn injuries, especially at home.

Fire safety educators visit the hospital each year. They are dedicated to teaching the public what to do when a fire or other emergency strikes: Stop! Drop! and Roll! Dial 911 for help.

Recently, patients at Shriners Hospital in Springfield, Mass enjoyed a special visit with fire safety educators from local fire departments, a member of the Massachusetts Fire Marshal’s Office, a life size Sparky the Fire Dog and Little Sparky. Little Sparky asked, “What is used to put out fires?” A young patient squealed in delight, “I know! I know! Water!” and at that moment, was squirted by Little Sparky’s hose.

This is the second year patients at Shriners Hospital in Springfield, Mass enjoyed the company of JetBlue employees as they handed out Soaringwords quilts.  Soaringwords is a non-profit public organization that inspires millions of children and their families to “Never give up!” JetBlue has partnered with Soaringwords for their 3rd Annual Light Up a Life Campaign, where crewmembers across the JetBlue network decorate and donate over 2100 quilts to hospitals in regions where JetBlue flies.

The Melha Shriners in Springfield, Mass recently announced the appointment of Russell D. Mitchell as its 2012 Potentate.  Mitchell is responsible for leading the local Shriners in their efforts to recruit new members and support the mission of Shriners Hospitals for Children. During his year as potentate, his wife Anna, First Lady of Melha, is selling necklaces to raise money for the purchase of a new piano for the inpatient care area of Shriners Hospital in Springfield, Mass.

Necklaces are available for purchase for $20 at the hospital by contacting Eileen Watson at (413) 787-2011 or ebwatson@shrinenet.org.

Burn Awareness Week begins February 5, 2012 and will kick-off a year-long educational campaign from Shriners Hospitals for Children®. The 2012 “Be Burn Aware” campaign focuses on teaching children safety tips that will help keep them safe from burn injuries, especially at home.

Most burn injuries occur right at home. Among children under the age of 4 who were treated at the hospital for burns, 65 percent received treatment for scald-related burns. The likely culprit is hot food or water spilled in the kitchen.

Consider these facts:
• Every day, across the U.S., hundreds of children are taken to emergency rooms for treatment of scald burns caused by contact with hot liquids, steam or foods.
• Approximately 65 percent of children under age 4 hospitalized for burn injuries were scalded by hot liquids.
• Approximately 16,000 children under age 5 are treated in U.S. hospitals for scald burns annually.
• Ninety-five percent of scalds occur in residences.
• Fire causes the death of more than 600 children ages 14 and under each year, and injures about 3,000 more.
• Nearly 50 percent of children injured in fires or fire-related incidents are under age 5.
• More than 60 percent of residential fires that cause the death of a child occur in homes without smoke detectors.

Many of these injuries could have been easily prevented. The 2012 campaign, Be Burn Aware, emphasizes the importance of observing basic precautions to keep everyone – especially children – safe at home.

Firefighters, teachers, parents, caregivers and other members of the community are encouraged to participate in the year-long campaign by visiting http://www.burnawareness.org/ for burn prevention and safety tips and information. The new, 2012 materials are available in both English and Spanish.