Firefighters from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service are visiting local communities this week to spread the word about preventing burns as part of the county's Burns Awareness week starting today (Monday).

In partnership with the Children's Burns Trust and The British Burn Association, teams from across will help raise awareness and let people know what to do if they suffer a burn at home.

And they are warning people to be extra careful as we approach Halloween and Bonfire Night and think about the risks too of naked flames from candles.

Firefighters from Lymm Fire Station will visit a local nursery to offer advice on both preventing burns as well as what to do when burnt, whether it be a surface burn, a spill, or anything else.

Other firefighters will be spreading the word across some of Cheshire's retail parks and via digital messages over the course of the week.

Prevention teams will also spread awareness of Burn Prevention and First Aid messages during routine Safe and Well visits.

Group Manager Steve McCormick, who manages the Service's Prevention Department, said: "Burns Awareness Week is a time to focus on the small actions at home that can help prevent burns injuries such as where your kettle is, is it too close to the edge of the work surface, and are hot drinks out of the reach of small children?"

In Cheshire during 2020, 50 children aged four and under attended a hospital burns unit due to injuries from hot spills.

Nationally, 30 babies and toddlers go to hospital with a hot drink scald every day. Always keep hot drinks out of reach of babies and toddlers.

Steve added: "As a Service, we need to make sure that we are doing all we can to promote awareness of the risks that burns come with and, more importantly, the ways to prevent and react to burns in the safest possible way."

The following two safety messages may help someone in an emergency and could reduce the severity of a burn or save a life:

STOP, DROP, ROLL - If your clothes catch fire, running around won't help. You must always stop, drop to the ground (cover you face with your hands) and roll over and over. Make sure you roll over until you're sure the fire is out.

COOL, CALL, COVER - Good first aid following a burn or scald can make an enormous difference in recovery times and the severity of scarring. First aid advice from the British Burn Association:

• Cool the burn with running cold tap water for a minimum of 20 minutes and remove all clothing and jewellery (unless it is melted or firmly stuck to the wound).

• Call for help: 999, 111 or local GP for advice.

• Cover with cling film or a sterile, non-fluffy dressing or cloth. Make sure that the covering is placed over the burn and not wrapped around the affected area, to assist the covering be removed for medical examination. Make sure the patient is kept warm.

Once you have taken these steps, you'll then need to decide whether further medical treatment is necessary.

Look out for the Cool, Call, Cover message being delivered by firefighters from Crewe Fire Station on the services' social media channels throughout Cheshire Burn Awareness Week.

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