Home Safety

2013 Burn Awareness Campaign

Burn prevention is a key endeavor of Shriners Hospitals for Children, which is why the health care system began its Burn Awareness campaigns more than 20 years ago. 

Safety Begins at Home

Consider these facts: 

• Every day, across the U.S., hundreds of children are taken to emergency rooms for treatment of scald burns caused by contact with hot liquids, steam or foods.
• Approximately 65 percent of children under age 4 hospitalized for burn injuries were scalded by hot liquids and 20 percent for contact burns.
• Among children ages 14 and under, hair curlers and curling irons, room heaters, ovens and ranges, irons, gasoline and fireworks are the most common causes of product-related thermal burn injuries.
• Since 1999, an average of 496 children ages 14 and under have died each year due to unintentional fire or burn-related injury.
• Nearly two-thirds of electrical burn injuries among children ages 12 and younger are associated with household electrical cords and extension cords. Wall outlets are associated with an additional 14 percent of these injuries.
• Children in homes without smoke alarms are at greater risk of fires and fire-related death and injury. 

Many of these injuries could have been easily prevented. The 2013 campaign, Be Burn Aware, emphasizes the importance of observing basic precautions to keep everyone – especially children – safe at home.

Meet Boots and Brewster, the Burn Awareness Pair

The campaign features two child-friendly characters, Boots and Brewster, a caped, cuddly bear and a googly-eyed teapot. In two new activity books for ages 3-7 and 8-12, the pair leads children through the various rooms of a house, pointing out dangers, and how to easily correct or avoid them. The booklets also have pages for families to map out a home fire escape plan.

Be Burn Aware Materials for Children and Families

Shriners Hospitals for Children offers a variety of complimentary burn prevention materials, including activity books, posters and fact sheets. To view these materials and place an order, see our materials order page. For more information, contact the public relations department at Shriners International Headquarters by sending an e-mail to shrinepr@shrinenet.org, or calling 813-281-8162.

Materials available for download:

Be Burn Aware: Keep Children Safe from Burn Injuries in the Home fact card (pdf)

Be Burn Aware: Keep Children Safe from Scalds fact card (pdf)