The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Stress on techniques to tackle `burning problems'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 18, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Stress on techniques to tackle `burning problems'

Staff Reporter

Fire safety booklets on `Safe Diwali' distributed

CHENNAI : With just a few days to go for Deepavali, the Burns Association of India (Madras) observed its annual Burns Day with students of JNS Jain Vidyalaya in Triplicane on Monday.

V. Jayaraman, joint secretary of the association, said that in 2005, eight people in Chennai and its suburbs died of injuries sustained during Deepavali celebrations.

Children and youth below the age of 30 accounted for most of the injured.

While 121 people suffered minor injuries, 42 had major injuries. Children below 10 and those in the 11-30 age group suffered more injuries.

Often rockets that recoil set huts on fire and cause accidents.

Mass casualty was reported when rockets fell over huts and burnt them.

In some cases, slum children were injured when they burnt unused cracker waste powder.

K. Mathangi Ramakrishnan, association secretary, stressed the need to teach fire prevention techniques to students and distributed fire safety booklets on "Safe Diwali" sponsored by Satyam Computers.

Kanchanamala Ramakrishna, principal and Sughalchand Jain, correspondent of the school, and Letika Saran, Commissioner of Police, also participated.

Ophthalmologist Mohan Rajan says that children less than 15 years are prone to more cracker injuries.

Last year his hospital received 67 patients with different kinds of serious and minor injuries to the eye.

For ocular emergencies, contact Rajan Eye Care Hospital at: 98401-77177 or 28340500/2834300.

Precautionary measures

Adults should supervise children lighting crackers. Keep children away from the kitchen while sweets are prepared. The kitchen should be well ventilated and faulty electrical installations immediately set right. Schools, corporate houses and hospitals should have fire extinguishers at strategic points.

While cooking or lighting fireworks, wear only cotton clothes and do not walk barefoot. Use a long stick to handle sparklers and light the fuse of fireworks. They should be lit in open yards at a safe distance from slums. Pour water on crackers, which refuse to light up, to diffuse the heat. Avoid bursting crackers from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. so that the elderly and the sick are not disturbed. Maintain water facility near the area where crackers are fired. In the event of accidental flame, pour water over the burns.

First Aid

In case of face burns, watch for respiratory problems caused by flame burns and smoke inhalation; start mouth-to-mouth respiration or use oxygen masks if available. Those with major burns should be transported to a nearby hospital immediately.

Do not apply gentian violet, ink, cow dung, cobweb, coconut oil or turmeric paste.

Do not give water by mouth if face is burnt. It may cause vomiting.

Remove constricting ornaments and burnt clothing by cutting them and wrap the person in a clean cloth. Any other fractured segments should be splinted and then transported.

Chemicals over the body should be washed with cold water or buffer solution or milk. Reassure the person and the relatives.

The duration of contact with the agent, the temperature of the object and the surface area burnt decide how much of tissue is damaged.

Transporting burns victim

Inform the hospital about the patient. A trained person should accompany the injured person.

Keep the head and the swollen upper and lower limbs in a raised position; the face should be to the side or shifted to face-down position.

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