Wood burns. Many people are injured each year by burns from contact with open flame.
Contact with hot embers, the spitting and cracking of burning wood, or the radiant heat from a fire can all cause serious burns. Even worse, burned skin may not hurt for several hours, so you may not realize that you’ve been burned until you remove clothing or go to sleep.
When you’re around a campfire, keep your distance. The farther away you are, the less likely you are to get burned.
When adding wood to a campfire or lighting a match, be sure there’s enough air flow around you so that the fire does not flare up.
Keep matches and lighters away from children and pets at all times. Children and pets might pick up burning embers or spark on the ground near the fire.
Burns can happen anywhere in your home, too. Be aware of where fires occur in your home and make sure that they do not block exits or pathways to safety.
If you are injured by a burn:
Wood burns. Wood has been used for hundreds of years as a fuel source to create heat and warm the inside of homes. From the living room fireplace to the campfires created on camping trips, wood has long been used to heat spaces and warm individuals.
Wood Burns
The problem with burning wood is that it creates an open flame and therefore poses a risk of fire injuries. The most common type of injury is to the hands. As people reach into the flames to move logs, pick up hot embers or even just warm their hands, contact with the flames can result in second and third degree burns.
Treating Wood Burn Injuries
The best treatment for wood burn injuries is early recognition of the burn and immediate action by the individual experiencing the injury. A cool water bath or shower will do much to soothe a mild burn but should not be applied directly to blisters caused by first or second degree burns. Individuals experiencing first or second degree burns should seek medical attention immediately after cooling the injury sufficiently.
The most common injuries around campfires are burns. Fire burns. Skin burns. Wood burns.
Wood, metal, plastic, and other materials may burn when placed into a campfire or fireplace. Campfires and fireplaces are generally used for cooking, heat and light.
Burns from any source can be treated the same way: stop the burning process, cool the burned area, prevent infection and treat for shock if necessary.
Burns are the most common injuries around campfires. The heat that a fire emits is measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units). These units can be used to determine how hot a fire is and how much heat it will give off.
The rule of thumb for determining the amount of heat that you need is: The fire should produce no greater than 50% of your body’s total heat loss. If a fire produces more than this, it could cause burns.
To put this into perspective: Your body can lose up to 5,000 BTU per hour through sweating. If a fire produces more than 3,000 BTU you will not be able to stay near it without getting burned.
You can use tools such as a handkerchief or an oven mitt to help keep your hands warm while cooking with a fire. Placing your hands inside these items will help decrease the amount of heat that you expose yourself to while cooking.
Burns can result from other sources such as metal cookware, hot water or steam from boiling water, etc. Be sure to avoid direct contact with these sources as well. Burning oil or fat can also cause severe burns so be careful when adding oil or fat to a fire.*
When you burn wood, the smoke has carbon monoxide in it. If there is not enough oxygen, this will make you dizzy and confused. It could kill you if you breathe enough of it.
If there are no sparks hitting the wood, there will be very little smoke. So if you have a fire pit with rocks lining the edges, the rocks will protect you from the worst effects of smoke.
If your campfire is built on sand or dirt and it rains, the rain can put out your fire. This is common sense: water puts out fire.
After a lightning strike or a forest fire, the ground around a fallen tree can be dangerous because of dry root flares. A root flare is a piece of wood that has been scorched by lightning or a forest fire and then pushed up into the air. You might find them sticking up out of a log like an arrow or completely uprooted. They are extremely hot and can stay hot for over 24 hours after they are created. If they hit your skin they will burn like an open flame.”
When a burn occurs, the skin is damaged and the tissue beneath the skin may be damaged as well. The extent of the damage depends on several factors, including:
The type of burn (first- or second-degree)
The size of the area affected
The depth of the burn
The location of the burn (skin on arms and hands, for example, is thinner than skin on the legs, buttocks, or abdomen).
Treatment depends on the extent of injury. First-degree burns affect only the top layer of skin and cause redness, pain and swelling. They are treated with cool compresses to reduce pain and swelling. Second-degree burns require medical attention because they extend into the lower layers of skin and may cause blistering or a loss of feeling in some parts of the burned area. In all cases, consult with your physician to determine whether further treatment is needed.
I have received a number of questions about the safety of metal wall art. I am happy to answer any questions that you may have about this product as well.
Metal wall art has been used for hundreds of years and is still popular today. Metal wall art is durable and can be very personal, which makes it a great choice in your home or office. It is lightweight and easy to hang up on any surface, but it is always important to take care when handling any kind of piece of metal art.
Tread carefully with your metal wall art and you should be just fine!
