A stakeholder saysThe Children’s Fire and Burn Trust (CFBT) is a National Charity whose primary aims are to deliver fire, burn and scalding safety messages to children and their carers and to provide psychosocial care for children who have suffered burn injuries and support for their families.
Recently CFBT was delighted to take over Welephant, the original Fire and Rescue Services children’s mascot who was used to disseminate fire safety messages. There is an excellent website at http://www.welephant.co.uk/ which we will soon be updating and developing and expanding the messages to include burn and scald prevention Through this we are hoping to forge many more links with FRSs and safety agencies so that we can work together to get these messages to where they are so keenly needed. Recent data collated from Burns Units around the country has shown that the incidence of flame and surface related burns to children has significantly reduced. However, the single biggest threat to our children in this area is now scalding, which has seen a dramatic increase in incidence, particularly for accidents involving hot bath water and tea and coffee. For over three years CFBT has been running a campaign called ‘Hot Water Burns Like Fire’. This has now been taken up by Mary Creagh MP for Wakefield and a coalition of other interested charities, trade associations and industry groupings who are asking for changes to planning legislation so that Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMVs) are fitted as standard for baths in all new builds. To find out more about our work or to discuss ways in which we might work in partnership, please visit our website at http://www.childrensfireandburntrust.org.uk/ “The single biggest threat to our children in this area is now scalding which has seen a dramatic increase” Carolyn Cripps O.B.E. Founder and Director of CFBT |
Article Date: 4th October 2006 |
