Parkland burn educator emphasizes the importance of burn prevention
Burn hazards in the home is theme of Burn Awareness Week, Feb. 2-8
Jan. 14, 2024, was just like any other day for Nolan Smith. Until it wasn’t.
That cold winter’s day, Nolan, then 11 years old, was wearing an oversized T-shirt when he accidentally came too close to a bathroom space heater that ignited his shirt. Terrified, he ran to the kitchen where his quick-thinking sister doused the flames with water. The entire incident took mere seconds.
With 61% of his body including his upper torso, arms and neck burned, Nolan would spend the next three months in Parkland Memorial Hospital’s regional burn center where he underwent multiple skin grafting surgeries. Once discharged, he returned as an outpatient multiple times for contracture release and laser scar revision surgeries.
Burn injuries are a leading cause of accidental death and injury in the United States, with over 398,000 individuals seeking medical care for burns each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Children under 5 are twice as likely to visit an emergency department for burn injuries, and many of these incidents occur at home.
National Burn Awareness Week, observed Feb. 2-8, 2025, emphasizes the importance of education and prevention to reduce these risks. Burn prevention is more critical than ever, considering the devastating wildfires that have impacted communities, according to Sarah Scoins, MSN, RN, CNS, CCRN, ACCNS-AG, Parkland’s Burn Outreach and Injury Prevention Educator.
This year’s theme, “Burn Prevention Starts Where You Live,” focuses on actions to minimize burn hazards in everyday living spaces, including kitchens, bathrooms, sleeping areas and storage spaces. Simple measures, such as testing smoke alarms, setting water heaters to safe temperatures and securely storing flammable items, can significantly reduce the risk of injury.
“Before this happened, we didn’t know anything about burn injuries,” said Tyler Smith, Nolan’s father, who spent every day alongside his son during his hospitalization. “When he was discharged, we were going back to the hospital every week, but now it’s one or two times a month to see the plastic surgery team. Instead of life-saving surgeries now, they are more cosmetic.”
In an effort to prevent injuries such as Nolan’s, the American Burn Association (ABA) has issued steps to prevent burn injuries in the home:
- Kitchen Safety: Store flammable items away from heat, turn pot handles inward and never leave cooking unattended
- Bathroom Safety: Set water heaters below 120°F and supervise children during baths
- Sleeping Areas: Extinguish candles before sleeping and keep heating devices away from fabrics
- General Home Safety: Test smoke alarms regularly, store chemicals safely and charge electronic devices responsibly
Since the accident, Nolan has returned to school, where it was made much easier thanks to a visit from Emily Ha, MA, CCLS, a Child Life Specialist in Parkland’s Burn Intensive and Acute Care units and Burn Outpatient Clinic. There, she met with school officials and Nolan’s classmates to teach them how to help a student with a burn, and how burn patients can respond to questions, staring and bullying.
“Nolan has become his own biggest advocate. If someone asks about his burns, he will explain what happened. He’s even done some public speaking about skin grafts and the importance of tissue donation,” Tyler said, noting that his son has received numerous skin grafts since his injury.
“I was excited to leave the hospital, but I was nervous about going out in public. I didn’t know how people would react to me,” Nolan said. “But then I figured out that no one can judge me and what I look like, and I’m proud to have the name ‘Burn Survivor.’”
For more information about Parkland services, visit www.parklandhealth.org.
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