Rockford Fire Dept. gives safety tips during Burn Awareness Week

ROCKFORD (WREX) -

February 2nd through the 8th marks Burn Awareness Week and the Rockford Fire Department is giving several tips to keep you and your family safe from burn and scald injuries.

Burning and scalding could cause lifelong scarring, and even death, so prevention is always preferable to treatment. The injuries could be worse for some.

"Although anyone can sustain a scald burn, certain people are more likely to be scaldedinfants, young children, older adults, and people with disabilities. These high risk groups are also more likely to require hospitalization, suffer complications, and experience a difficult recovery," according to the American Burn Association.

Rockford Fire Department Division Chief Matthew Knott warns, "Most burn injuries occur in the person's own home, and the vast majority of these injuries could have easily been prevented."

Tap water scalds are some of the most dangerous, often more severe than scalds related to cooking. The following tips are recommended to decrease your risk of tap water scalds:

Cooking-related scalds can also be prevented through the following steps:

For more information, visit http://www.ameriburn.org.

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Rockford Fire Dept. gives safety tips during Burn Awareness Week