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.