Guy Fawkes and sunburn first aid.
We love teaching our infant and child first aid course at La Vida in Christchurch. We’ve all had some frightening emergencies in our own families, and remember how helpless that can feel. Helping parents and caregivers feel more able to act is one of the reasons we care so much about this course.
This weekend, we talked about children putting things into power points. Someone asked whether that would be electrocution. It’s an understandable question, because people often use electrocution when the thing they are describing is actually called an electric shock or electrical injury. The words are used differently: electrocution means death caused by electric shock. A person who survives contact with electricity has had an electric shock or electrical injury. Either way, contact with electricity can cause serious harm, and the skin may not show how much.
With Guy Fawkes coming up, it’s a timely reminder that burns don’t only come from fireworks. They can be caused by heat, sunlight, electricity and chemicals. The useful questions are the same each time:
What’s happening inside the body? What can you see from the outside? What should you do?
Thermal burns: heat, flames and sun
What’s happening inside the body? Heat damages the skin and the tissue beneath it. The injury can keep developing after the heat source is gone. Sunburn is also a burn: ultraviolet radiation damages skin cells.
How can you tell from the outside? The skin may be red, swollen, painful or blistered. A deeper burn may look pale, mottled or charred, and may have reduced feeling if nerves are damaged. Sunburn can leave skin hot, red and painful; more severe sunburn may blister or make someone feel unwell.
What do you do? Move the person away from the heat or stop the burning if you can do so safely. Cool the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes, while keeping the rest of the person warm. Remove nearby jewellery and loose clothing before swelling begins, but don’t pull off anything stuck to the skin. After cooling, cover the burn loosely with a clean non-stick dressing or cling film. Don’t use ice, butter, toothpaste or creams, and don’t burst blisters.
For sunburn, get the person out of the sun, cool the skin and encourage them to drink water. Seek medical advice if they feel unwell, have a large area affected or develop large blisters.
Electrical injuries: a small mark can hide a serious injury
What’s happening inside the body? Electricity passing through the body can affect the heart, breathing and internal tissues. It can also cause burns where the current entered and left the body. The damage may be more serious than the skin suggests.
How can you tell from the outside? There may be small contact burns, or no obvious mark at all. The person may be confused, unconscious, struggling to breathe or not breathing normally.
What do you do? Don’t touch the person while they may still be in contact with electricity. Switch off the power at the mains if you can do so safely. Once the area is safe, check whether they respond and are breathing normally. Call 111 after an electric shock, and begin CPR if they are not breathing normally. Cool any burns with cool running water if it is safe to do so.
If a power line is involved, stay well clear and call 111. Electricity can travel through the ground. Don’t approach the person or try to move the wire.
Chemical burns: the substance may keep damaging tissue
What’s happening inside the body? Some chemicals damage tissue on contact. They can continue to cause injury while they remain on the skin or in the eyes. The severity depends on the chemical, how much there is, and how long it stays in contact.
How can you tell from the outside? There may be pain, redness, blistering or changes in skin colour. The full damage may not be obvious straight away. A chemical in the eye may cause pain, watering or difficulty seeing.
What do you do? Protect yourself from contact with the chemical. Call 111 for an ambulance. Carefully remove contaminated clothing. If the chemical is a dry powder, brush it off before rinsing. Flush affected skin with plenty of running water. If a chemical gets into someone’s eye, hold the eyelids open and rinse thoroughly with water. Don’t try to neutralise the chemical with another substance.
If you know what the product was, keep its container or label available for emergency services. You can also call the National Poisons Centre on 0800 764 766 for advice.
What about burns to animals?
What’s happening inside the body? Heat, electricity and chemicals can damage an animal’s skin and deeper tissues, just as they can in people. Fur can make it difficult to see the extent of a burn, and smoke may also affect an animal’s breathing.
How can you tell from the outside? Look for redness, swelling, singed fur, blisters, wounds, pain or changes in behaviour. An animal may hide, pant, vocalise, or resist being touched. Burns around the face or signs of breathing difficulty need urgent veterinary attention.
What do you do? First make sure it’s safe to approach. A frightened or injured animal may bite, even if it is normally gentle. Move it away from the danger if you can do so safely, and contact a vet promptly for advice. For a thermal burn, cool the affected area with cool running water if you can do this safely without distressing the animal or risking a bite. Don’t apply creams, ice or human medicines unless a vet tells you to. With chemical exposure, protect yourself, prevent the animal from licking the area, and call a vet for instructions.
Around Guy Fawkes, prevention matters too. Keep pets indoors and away from fireworks, and give them a safe place to retreat. SPCA New Zealand recommends planning ahead because fireworks can frighten animals enough to make them bolt or injure themselves.
Keep the person warm, and get help when needed
Cooling a burn matters, but a person with a burn can become cold, especially a young child or someone with a large burn. Cool the injured area while keeping the rest of them warm.
Call 111 for a serious burn, suspected airway injury, chemical burn, electrical injury, or if someone is having trouble breathing or is seriously unwell. Smoke and hot gases can injure the airway. A hoarse voice, dry cough, soot around the mouth, or difficulty breathing after a fire are urgent warning signs.
Guy Fawkes is a useful prompt to think about safety, but burns can happen at any time of year: in the kitchen, in the garden, at work, in the sun, or around a power point. Knowing what may be happening inside the body, what to look for, and what to do first can help us feel more ready to act when someone needs us.
It's a good time to check your first aid kits too. Replace anything expired and restock items.
Sources: Health New Zealand: Burns first aid; ANZCOR: First Aid for burns
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