Prevent Fire-related Injuries with an Emcare Firefighting Course

Fire-related injuries are traumatic experiences. Not only do you face severe injuries, but you are also at risk of disfigurement, disability, financial strain, and affected emotional well-being. We take a look into the different types of fire-related injuries, how you can help someone after they have experienced a fire-related injury, and how to prevent the risk of fire-related injuries. When it comes to reducing the risk of fire-related injuries, an Emcare firefighting course is one of the best ways to protect yourself.

Fire-related Injuries:

Burn Injuries:

Fire-related burn injuries occur when the skin comes into contact with open flames. Burn injuries are categorised in degrees according to the layer of skin that they have affected.

Skin is categorised into two layers. The top layer of your skin is called the epidermis, and the second layer of your skin is called the dermis. There is a subcutaneous layer, commonly called the hypodermis, which contains connective tissue, fat, and larger blood vessels.

First degree burns, also known as superficial burns, only affect the epidermis. A first-degree burn is the mildest fire-related burn injury you can experience.

A first-degree burn caused by a fire will result in a painful, burning sensation, which is then followed by redness, tenderness to the touch, and swelling. After a few days, your skin will most likely peel. Many people have experienced a first-degree burn in their lifetime as a result of a severe sunburn.

First-degree burns generally do not need medical attention. First degree burns should heal on their own within a few days.

Second-degree burns, which are also referred to as partial-thickness burns, affect both the epidermis and the dermis. Second-degree burns will need medical attention immediately.

A second-degree burn will be extremely painful. A second-degree burn will result in skin turning deep red in colour and blistering. There will also be open, irregular-shaped wounds that weep.

A major concern with second-degree burns is the risk of infection. If you experience nausea or fever after a second-degree burn, your burns are most likely infected and will need medical attention.

Depending on the size of the second-degree burn and the location on the body, you may need to be hospitalised for a few days. Smaller second-degree burns can be treated with an antiseptic cream that must be prescribed by a professional. Recovery can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the severity.

Third-degree burns, also referred to as full-thickness burns, affect the epidermis, dermis, and possibly the hypodermis. Third-degree burns require medical assistance immediately due to the severity of the damage they cause to the skin.

Third-degree burns usually do not hurt as the burn from the fire has damaged all the nerve endings. The skin can discolour to either white, yellow, brown, black, or grey. The skin will swell and will also have a dry, waxy, or leathery appearance.

A major risk with third-degree burns that cover more than 20% of a person’s body is burn shock. Burn shock is caused by a lack of blood flow and oxygen deprivation to vital organs which is caused by the damage caused to blood vessels by the third-degree burn. Burn shock can often result in death.

Burn shock can occur at any point within the first twenty-four hours of experiencing a third-degree burn, therefore, a person with these burns must remain hospitalised for an extended time.

Third-degree burns will require skin grafting as the damage from the burn will impair your skin’s ability to heal itself. Skin grafting is the process of using skin from an unaffected area of your body and surgically transplanting it to the affected areas.

Fourth-degree Burns:

Fourth-degree burns will affect every layer of skin as well as the underlying muscle tissues and possibly the bone. Emergency treatment is needed immediately for fourth-degree burns and you can expect to be hospitalised for an extended period.

Fourth-degree burns will not be painful as the burn would have damaged the nerves in the skin. The skin will be blackened or possibly white. You are also at high risk of burn shock and infection with fourth-degree burns, therefore extended hospitalisation is critical.

Respiratory Injuries:

Alongside burns, you can also sustain respiratory injuries caused by a fire.

Smoke Inhalation:

Inhaling smoke from a fire can result in serious respiratory injuries or even death. You can experience a wide range of respiratory injuries as a result of smoke inhalation. The heat of the smoke can burn the upper airways of your respiratory tract, and the irritants and chemicals in the smoke can cause burns to your upper and lower respiratory tract.

Smoke inhalation will result in coughing, difficulty breathing, a hoarse voice, and a headache. You will need to seek medical treatment where you will receive oxygen treatments.

What To Do When Someone Has Fire-related Injuries:

These are a few immediate steps you can take to help someone who has a fire-related injury.

1) Seek Medical Attention Immediately:

You must seek medical attention immediately after someone has experienced fire-related inhalation injuries or second, third, or fourth-degree burns. Immediate medical attention can help reduce the severity of the damages, risk of infection, or fatality.

2) Place Burns Under Running Water:

Placing second and third-degree burns under cool running water will help cool the burn down and alleviate pain and swelling. The water must be clean and at a low pressure to reduce any further damage or infection. Running burns under cool water can also reduce the severity of scarring to the skin.

3) Find a Ventilated Area:

If a person has been exposed to smoke inhalation, they must be taken quickly to a well-ventilated area for fresh air.

What Not to Do When Someone Has Fire-related Injuries:

We have listed a few things to avoid doing when a person has a fire-related injury.

1. Ice: You must never apply ice or ice water to second, third, or fourth-degree burns. The extreme coldness of ice can cause further damages to tissues in recently burnt skin.
2. Butter or Cream: An old wives tale states that you should place butter or cream on a burn to help cool the burn. As with many old wives' tales, this is far from accurate and can cause more damage to the burn. There are fats in butter and cream, which will retain the heat from the burn and increase the burning sensation.
3. Toothpaste Applying toothpaste to a burn is another common misconception. Although toothpaste contains menthol which can provide a cooling feeling, this does not provide any healing benefits to the burn.
4. Remove Clothing: Do not attempt to remove any clothing that is stuck to burnt skin.
5. Slap the Person’s Back: A person who has inhaled smoke will be coughing and you may slap the person on the back in the hope to help them cough. Do not slap the person on the back as this may aggravate the damage to the lungs. The person may also have burns on their back which can get damaged by slapping.

How to Prevent Fire-related Injuries:

No one wants to find themselves in a situation where they have to face the trauma, expenses, and possible disfigurements or disabilities from a fire-related injury. Knowing how to handle fires in your home or workplace will reduce your risk of fire-related injuries. We have listed a few key points on how to best prevent fire-related injuries.

1) Fire Warning Systems:

Install fire warning systems, such as smoke detectors, in your home or workplace to alert everyone when there is a fire in the building. Ensuring that there is adequate warning will enable people to evacuate the premises quickly and prevent fire-related injuries.

2) Emergency Plan:

Have an emergency plan in place in case there is a fire in your home or workplace. Your emergency plan should include safe exit routes, how to access fire control systems, and a safe place to congregate.

2) Fire Control Systems:

Have a range of fire control systems in your house or workplace. These can include fire extinguishers, fire hoses, and automated sprinkler systems. These will help you control the fire and hopefully extinguish it before it can cause any fire-related injuries.

3) Firefighting Course:

A firefighting course is undoubtedly the best way to protect yourself from fire-related injuries. A firefighting course will provide you with the knowledge and skills to prevent fires in your home or workplace. A firefighting course will also equip you to handle a fire safely if you are ever faced with one, and therefore reduce your risks of fire-related injuries.

Emcare is a health and safety training facility that offers a firefighting course suitable for preventing fires in your house or workplace and thus reduce the risk of fire-related injuries.

Emcare Firefighting Course:

Emcare is the best firefighting course facility for your firefighting training as our courses cover both the theoretical and practical information you need to reduce your risks of a fire-related injury.

Theoretical information on how a fire is started and how the fire will behave is critical to making sure you behave in a safe manner. An Emcare firefighting course will provide you with information on the burning process, the fire tetrahedron, how fire spreads, and many other important factors regarding fires. An Emcare firefighting course will equip you with the knowledge that you can use to prevent fires or handle fires safely and thus prevent fire-related injuries.

You can have all the theoretical understanding in the world, but when it comes to being faced with a fire emergency, the stress and pressure of the situation can cause you to panic which can then result in fire-related injuries. An Emcare firefighting course, therefore, incorporates practical training to provide you with skills to behave in a safe manner around a fire, and thus prevent fire-related injuries.

Emcare offers a wide range of firefighting courses. For safety from fire-related injuries in a household or workplace fire, we recommend selecting an Emcare firefighting course from this list.

1. Basic Fire Awareness Course.
2. Basic Firefighting Course.
3. Advanced Firefighting Course.

Every Emcare firefighting course is of exceptional quality. The firefighting course trainers which will facilitate your selected course are highly trained and experienced. At Emcare, ensuring that you receive a high standard of practical and theoretical training in a firefighting course is of the utmost importance so that you remain safe from fire-related injuries when faced with a fire.

When you choose an Emcare firefighting course for your firefighting training, you will walk away with the confidence that you can handle a fire emergency in a safe and correct manner.

Use the skills and knowledge you gain from an Emcare firefighting course to reduce the risks of fire-related injuries.