Burn units in Florida hospitals often see an increase in injuries during the summer months. Unfortunately, while summer cookouts, fireworks, and grills can make this season lots of fun, these same fun activities can quickly turn dangerous and even deadly.
In 2013 alone, the American Burn Association reports that 40,000 people were hospitalized due to burn injuries and about 3400 people across their country lost their lives to burns and smoke inhalation. To reduce the risk of burn injuries in your Miami or Florida home, you will want to:
1) Keep children away from grills.
Grill and barbecue surfaces pose the biggest danger to children, so proper supervision is important. It is also important to supervise after the food is prepared and served, as the grill will remain hot for some time.
2) Keep in mind that surfaces and campfire logs can stay hot for a lone time.
A grill can stay hot for hours. A log in a camp fire can also remain hot overnight. In some cases, burn injuries happen because people assume that a fire or grill has cooled down when it has not.
3) Use good supervision.
Even if you have no children, an unsupervised grill or fire can spiral out of control in seconds. Pets can also get too close and get injured. Make sure that there are at least two people supervising a fire pit, campfire, or grill at all times. Continue to keep hot areas – such as hot grills or fire pits – supervised even when they are not in use.
4) Set up fire pits, fires, and grills outside and well away from walls, fences, and other flammable areas.
Never set up fires or grills in an enclosed space, such as a garage or even under an awning. Avoid any flammable surfaces – such as decks – when setting up a grill or fire pit and provide plenty of clearance from walls, trees, fences, and other structures. If using a fire pit, use a cover to keep embers from escaping.
5) Update the fire extinguishers in your home.
This is a good time to check that you have enough fire extinguishers in your home. At minimum, have one on each floor and additional fire extinguishers in the garage and the kitchen. If you have a grill, fire pit, or camp fire outside be sure to have a fire extinguisher handy each time you light up the flames outdoors. You may also want to buy a car fire extinguisher in case you are even in a car crash in Miami or your community. Check the expiry dates on each fire extinguisher and follow the instructions printed on them to verify that the extinguisher is working correctly.
6) Have a fire escape plan.
Have a written plan that lets your family know exactly how they can get out of each room in the home in the event of a fire. Go over the plan and practice this summer so that everyone in your house knows what to do to avoid smoke inhalation and burns.
7) Make sure your smoke alarms are working correctly.
You should have at least one alarm on each floor and the batteries should be checked at least a few times a year.
If you have been injured and think you may have a claim, get a legal opinion about your case by contacting Flaxman Law Group today. Speak with a personal injury attorney in Miami or your community in a free, no obligation consultation with a member of our legal team.