TRENTON – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ (DCA) Division of Fire Safety is reminding residents about National Burn Awareness Week, which runs from Feb. 4 through Feb. 10. Together with more than 800 local fire departments, the state is sharing tips to help families avoid becoming a burn or scalding victim.
“National Burn Awareness Week is an opportunity for citizens to recognize the risk of burn or scald injuries outside instances of a fire,” stated Louis Kilmer, state fire marshal and acting director of the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, in a release. “In fact, the water typically used to douse a fire can be unintentionally heated and can cause harm.”
Kilmer recommends practicing the following steps:
- Install and maintain smoke alarms in your home, on every floor, and near all bedrooms. Test your smoke alarms once a month to ensure they are working properly. Consider 10-year lithium battery powered smoke and CO alarms.
- Create and practice a family fire escape plan and involve children in the planning. Make sure everyone knows at least two ways out of every room and identify a central meeting place outside the home.
- Use safe cooking practices and never leave food unattended on the stove. Also, supervise or restrict children’s use of stoves, ovens, and microwaves.
- Set your water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Infants and small children may not be able to get away from water that is too hot, and maintaining a constant thermostat setting will prevent the household’s water from getting too high. Test the water at the tap.
The Division of Fire Safety serves as the central fire service agency in the State. The Division is responsible for the development and enforcement of the State Uniform Fire Code, as well as for implementing community risk reduction and firefighter training programs.
The DCA was established in 1967 to improve state services to local government; address the issues at the time of urban decline and suburban development; and secure federal funds to fight poverty. Today, the Department offers a wide range of programs and services, including affordable housing production, fire safety and building safety, community planning and development, local government management and finance, and disaster recovery.
For more resources on burn and scald injury, visit: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/prevention/outreach/burn_prevention.html.
For more information regarding the DCA, visit http://www.nj.gov/dca/.
