Stay safe and enjoy your Bonfire Night festivities | News

With Bonfire Night just around the corner, our experts at Birmingham Children’s Hospital are urging parents to #BeBurnsAware to ensure all the family keeps safe when enjoying fireworks.

Our Burn Centre is one of the largest of its type in the UK and each year we care for 650 young people and, sadly, during this time of the year, there’s an increase in the number of injuries we see.

Our team is urging families to take simple precautions and advice to ensure everyone stays safe. We’d recommend families attend public firework displays that are fully stewarded but if you’re at home remember:

• Remember that fireworks should only be set off by a responsible adult, with children and young people kept at a safe distance
• Once a firework is lit, you should never go back to it and store them safely away in a secure box.
• Always light them one at a time and wearing gloves can protect your hands from sparks.
• Sparklers should not be given to children under the age of five.
• If you are holding a sparkler, our experts advise to stick a sparkler in a carrot to avoid getting burnt, should an injury occur.
• If you still intend to hold a display on your own property, then we advise families to follow the fireworks code and avoid open fires.

Should the worst happen and an injury does occur quick action can reduce the potential for long-term injury or scarring. Remembering the 3Cs in such an event can make all the difference:

1. Cool the burn with running cold tap water for 20 minutes and remove all clothing and jewellery (unless it is melted or firmly stuck to the wound).
2. Call for help – 999, 111 or your GP for advice.
3. Cover with cling film or a sterile, non-fluffy dressing or cloth. Make sure the injured child is kept warm.

Deb Lyne, Burns Centre Ward Sister at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“Unfortunately, every year we see hundreds of children with serious burns that could have been prevented. We all know that accidents can happen, which is why it is important to raise awareness by taking precautions and following the fire code. By remembering the 3C’s, you could reduce the severity of a burn or scald even when injuries happen.

Burns can not only cause physical scarring, which can sometimes be life-changing, but they can also cause emotional scars which too take time to heal. They not only affect the young person, but it can also impact on the whole family as well”