Burns, Hypothermia, and Heat Stroke Notes

burns can be very painful and can cause a lot of harm to your body— not just to your skin. We can get burns from cooking, certain chemicals, or even if we touch something that is outside in the sun that is too hot. burns we get from hot things are called thermal burns.

we can prevent thermal burns by being very careful around things that are hot— such as being careful in the kitchen. we can also prevent thermal burns by preventing fires— making sure the stove is clear when we're cooking, making sure we don't have wires exposed, etc, also, make sure smoke detectors always have batteries up to date, as they can notify you if there is a fire going on.

escaping from a fire- when you are in a dangerous situation involving fire, it is always best to stay away from the flame to avoid injury. Make a plan with your family about what to do when there is a fire in certain areas of the house— plan and carry out a practice drill in your house to be prepared.

if your clothes catch on fire, stop what you're doing, drop on the ground, and roll. This will help smother the flames

fire gets bigger with oxygen, so the less oxygen we let in a fire, the more likely it will go out. This is why rolling and dropping helps put out flames.

first aid for burns- someone with serious burns should be taken to the hospital immediately— as always, call 911 if you can. for less serious burns, first, run the burn under cold water— do not apply ice, as this can cause damage and be much more painful. You also want to cover the wound as fast as you can after running water over it, because burns can get infected very easily. It is also important to keep an eye on the patient to make sure they do not develop shock, which we talked about in earlier lessons.

sunburns

sunburns are caused by harmful UV rays coming from the sun. ways to prevent sunburns are to use sunscreen, to stay covered up, or to stay out of the sun at very bright times of the day.

treatment- for sunburns, it is best to apply cold cream to the area that is affected— something that works well is aloe, as it soothes the inflamed skin. Your skin is the largest organ your body has (an organ is a part of your body that performs a specific job) so when it is hurt, it can be very damaging. When you have sunburn, it can be very easy to get dehydrated, so try to drink a lot of fluids.

heat exhaustion

prevention- you can prevent heat exhaustion by staying inside on very hot days, staying hydrated and drinking lots of water, cooling down in the pool, or not doing too much exercise outside on a very hot day.

some signs of heat exhaustion are fainting, dizziness or lightheadedness. You can also have panting, nausea, or fatigue.

first aid- to help someone with heatstroke, try to get them into a cool place as quickly as you can. Get them into AC, in front of a fan that can blow cool air on them— make sure they sit down, rest, and hydrate. if you can't get to a cool place, have them sit or lay down to rest and drink a cool glass of water until they feel better.

ill-effects of the cold

frostbite- frostbite is when a part of the body freezes as a result of extremely cold temperatures. Usually, frostbite occurs in parts of the body that we don't need to survive— like our fingers, toes, or even our nose.

to keep from getting frostbite, make sure to avoid super cold temperatures, and if you have to go out, try to bundle up the best you can. Frostbite only happens if you're outside in below-freezing temperatures for a long period, so if you're in a situation like that, try your best to stay warm and covered.

symptoms- before you get frostbite, your skin might become red and flushed, but then changes to a grey color— this is because your blood stopped flowing to the area to keep your really important body parts warm— like your heart and your brain.

first aid- apply firm pressure to the frostbite with a warm hand or compress if possible, do not rub anything against it, however, because this can cause your skin to be raw, meaning, it can cause a wound. This increases the risk of infection, which is never good. cover the frostbite with a warm cloth, or put it in warm water to restore blood flow to the area. if you have frostbite, it's always best to seek medical care, as they will know how to treat it efficiently.

hypothermia

hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposure to the cold.

symptoms of hypothermia are drowsiness, numbness, and unconsciousness.

first aid- to treat hypothermia, immediately call 911, as this condition can be very dangerous. get the person into a warm room, and surround them with warm blankets. You can warm blankets by placing them in the dryer for some time. You can also rewarm someone using a warm bath.