EMERGENCY TREATMENT

FOR

BURNS
 FIRST AID

• First aid is the immediate care given to a person who is injured or ill.

• Sudden illness or injury can often cause irreversible damage or death

to the victim unless proper care is initiated as soon as possible. First
aid includes identifying a life-threatening condition, taking action to
prevent further injury or death, reducing pain, and counteracting the
effects of shock.

The primary purpose of first aid is to:

• Care for life-threatening situations.
• Protect the victim from further injury and complications.
• Arrange transportation for the victim to a medical facility.
• Make the victim as comfortable as possible to conserve strength.
• Provide reassurance to the victim
AIRWAY ,
BREATHING &
CIRCULATION

To check the
• Airway -Clear and maintain an open airway
• Breathing -Breathe for the person and
• Circulation -Restore blood circulation with chest compressions ,
Place your ear next to the victim’s chest and listen/feel for breath sounds
while looking for a rise and fall of the chest. While doing this, check for a
pulse by placing your fingers on the neck, just below the angle of the jaw,
and feel for the pulse from the carotid artery. These three steps will
determine if cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)is needed.
 BURNS

If a casualty is being burned, you must first eliminate

the source of the burn in order to protect the casualty.
Once the immediate danger has been removed or
controlled, check the casualty for breathing, control
any major bleeding, and take measures to control or
prevent shock.
 CLASSIFICATION

• Burns can be classified by CAUSE and by

SEVERITY.
Burns can result from
• Thermal
• Electrical,
• Chemical, or
• Radiant sources.
They are usually rated as being
• First,
• Second, or
• Third degree in severity.
 CLASSIFY BURN AS TO TYPE
CAUSES

• Thermal burns are caused by heat. They can be caused by

a flame, a hot object, steam, or the fireball from a nuclear
explosion.

• Electrical burns are caused by an electrical current passing

through the body, such as from coming into contact with a
"live" electrical wire.

• Chemical burns are caused by liquid or dry chemicals such

as ammonia, caustic soda, quick-lime, or white phosphorus
(WP).

• Radiant energy burns can be caused by lasers, electric

welding arcs, ultraviolet light,. The primary danger is to the
eyes.
 CLASSIFY BURN AS TO TYPE

Severity

• First degree burns -- The skin is red and painful like a

sunburn, but blisters are not present.
• Second degree burns -- The skin is red and painful;
blisters are present.
• Third degree burns -- The skin layers are destroyed
and underlying fat, muscles, and/or bone may also be
damaged. The burn area may not be painful because
the nerves have been destroyed, but the surrounding
second and first degree burn areas may be painful.
SEVERITY
 FIRST AID
PUT OUT FLAMES

• If the casualty's clothing is on fire, cover the casualty

with a large piece of non-synthetic material (such as
a wool or cotton blanket) and roll the casualty on the
ground until the flames are smothered.
• If non-synthetic material cannot be obtained quickly,
get the casualty to the ground and have him roll on
the flame until it goes out.
– Do not use synthetic materials such as nylon and rayon
because they may melt and cause additional injury.
 REMOVE A CASUALTY FROM ELECTRICAL
CURRENT

• If the casualty is lying on an electrical wire, assume

the electrical wire is carrying electrical current and
can be a danger to yourself as well as to the
casualty.
– Do not touch the electrical wire with your hands.
– Do not touch the casualty since the current can
pass from the wire and through the casualty to
you.
 REMOVE A CASUALTY FROM ELECTRICAL
CURRENT

• Stop the Current

• If the electrical current can be turned off quickly, such
as flipping a switch, turn it off before removing the
casualty from the wire.
– Treat the wire as though it were still carrying current even if
you think you turned off the current.
• If it is quicker to separate the casualty from the wire,
remove the casualty from the wire and administer aid
first.
 REMOVE A CASUALTY FROM ELECTRICAL
CURRENT

• Separate Casualty and Wire

• Two-rescuers: Slide a dry rope, dry clothing, or other
material which will not readily conduct electricity under the
casualty's body and lift the casualty from the wire. Have a
second person use a wooden limb or other long,
non-conducting object to push the wire away from the
casualty.
• One rescuer: Wrap dry rope or similar material around the
casualty limb or limbs and drag the casualty away from the
wire.

Check for Breathing

• Check the casualty's respiration after you have separated
him from the current. Administer mouth-to-mouth or mouth
to nose resuscitation if needed.
 REMOVE CHEMICALS THAT CAUSE BURNS
Liquid Chemicals
• Pour as much water as possible over the burned area.
• If a sufficient amount of water is not available, use any
nonflammable fluid to flush the area.
Dry Chemicals
• Use a clean, dry cloth to brush off loose particles on
the skin and flush the skin with as much water or
nonflammable liquid as possible.
– Do not flush dry chemicals unless water or other
nonflammable fluid is available in large amounts. When
combined with water, the chemical may change into an
active, burning substance.
 REMOVE CHEMICALS THAT CAUSE BURNS

• Brush off loose radioactive particles sticking to the

casualty's clothing and skin and flush the skin with as
much water as possible.
• Chemicals in the Eye
• Flush the eye with water as quickly as possible.
• Position the casualty's head with the eye to be
flushed lower than the other eye. This keeps
chemicals from the eye being flushed from flowing
into the other eye.
 REMOVE CHEMICALS THAT CAUSE BURNS

• Hold the casualty's eyelid open.

• Pour the water gently into the eye. Pour from the
inner edge of the eye (end closest to the nose) to the
outer edge.
• Continue to flush the eye with water for at least 20
minutes.
 RADIANT ENERGY (LASER) BURNS
OF THE EYE
• Laser burns cause an immediate decrease in the
ability to see.
• Protect the casualty from additional exposure to the
radiant energy source and keep the casualty out of
bright sunlight.
• The casualty's eyes do not need to be bandaged, but
he may feel more comfortable if a dark cloth or loose
bandage is placed over his eyes if he does not need
to walk. If a bandage is applied, bandage only the
involved eye.
• Evacuate the casualty .
 SKIN BURNS

• At the time of the burn, apply copious amounts of

water to the burn site.
• Expose Burned Area(s)
• Cut and gently lift away any clothing covering the
burned area.
• Do not pull clothing over the burned area.
• Leave any piece of clothing that sticks to the burned
area in place.
– If you are in a chemical environment, do not expose the
wound. Apply the dressing over the casualty's clothing.
 SKIN BURNS

Remove Jewelry
• Remove any jewelry from the burned limb and put it
in the casualty's pocket. The jewelry which is not
removed now may have to be cut off later if the limb
swells sufficiently.

Dress and Bandage Burned Area(s)

• Apply a field dressing over the burn wound and

secure the dressing using the attached tails.
 TREAT SKIN BURNS

• If the burned area is large, use the cleanest material

available to cover the burned area.
• Do not try to clean the burned area before applying
the dressing.
• Do not apply any grease, ointments, or medications
to the burned area.
• Do not break any blisters that have formed.
Check for Shock
• Fluid lost through burns is a cause of shock.
 TREAT SKIN BURNS
• Take appropriate measures to prevent shock or
control shock.
– If the casualty has second and third degree burns on 20
percent or more of his body, fluids should be administered
intravenously.
• If the casualty is not in shock and is not nauseated,
give him small amounts of cool water to drink.
• Get Medical Help
• Seek medical help or evacuate the casualty, if
practical.
• Electrical burns can be far more serious than they
first appear since most of the damage is done to the
interior of the body.
 GIVE FIRST AID FOR BURNS

CLOSING

A casualty with serious burns should receive

intravenous fluids and be evacuated as soon as
possible. If the burns to the skin are minor, the
casualty should be evaluated by a medical person
when possible since the burn is an open wound
which can easily become infected if not treated.
 Questions

For Queries
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