Tips for a Safe Summer

 

Practice vigilance and protect your family from fire and burn injuries this summer! According to the American Burn Association (ABA), outdoor grilling and fireworks cause a shocking 12,000 fires a year and over 4,000 deaths are fire and burn-related.

You can keep the summer fun and safe by following these practical and easy safety tips:

Sun Safety

• Keep children under two years old out of direct sun.
• Always use and reapply sunscreen with a UV-A and UV-B protection.
• Use sun protective clothing.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• If sunburned, do not treat it with petroleum jelly, butter, harsh soaps, over-the-counter benzocaine sprays or toothpaste. Instead, use a cool compress or flush it with cool water.

Outdoor Cooking and Camp Fires

• Establish a kid free zone 10 feet around campfires and grills; use chalk to draw a boundary line!
• Never add gasoline or starter fluid to warm coals or leave a fire unattended.
• Keep a fire extinguisher and water accessible.
• Never bury hot coals in sand –extinguish them with water instead.

Fireworks

• Fireworks cause 10,000 injuries yearly, including 4,500 children; 
• Never allow children access to fireworks.
• Do not light fireworks near buildings, trees, or other flammable surfaces and materials.
• Do not hold lit fireworks!
• Leave fireworks to the professionals.

Boating

• Inspect fuel valves and connections frequently.
• Never smoke during refueling.
• Wash skin that has been exposed to gasoline thoroughly.
• Show guests the location of any fire extinguishers.

Emergency Burn Care                                  

• If your clothes catch on fire, STOP, DROP, ROLL!
• You can cool a burn by running cool, not cold, water on it for 15 minutes.
• Remove all clothing from the burn.

Cover with a clean dry cloth and call 911.

For a full toolbox of summer safety tips, check out ABA’s Guide to Summer Safety.

A First-Timer’s Experience of the Bear Valley Ski Trip

Wyatt and Daniel

I had such a great time at Bear Valley. I got to see my old friends and even got to make new ones. My counselors were great. I think the best one was probably Knobby because he made the boring times in the car seem fun and was just really funny.

I think the best time I had was when I successfully went down a steep hill and made it down my first try ever. It was also really cool when the girls came in at night and played games with us. Ding Dong had this ball that shocks you when you shake it and we got the girls pretty good.

What I thought was also pretty amazing was the dedication to the campers. The firefighters did awesome by feeding us at night and morning. I’d just like to say thank you to everybody for making this possible.

            Thank you,

                        Wyatt, age 12

YAS is where the heart is…..

Svetlana

 

By: Svetlana Granvold

My experience at the Young Adult Summit (YAS) has been an interesting one! Many youth who attend find it very favorable to their growth.

Personally, the experience has been more then a journey; it has been a fulfillment of my needs and a reminder that I need to stay on track and be happy with my life.  When I say this, I mean that the Summit has given me opportunities to seek out knowledge and experiences.  Learning how to budget, eat healthy, be positive, and to know the importance of pursuing an education are all things I have learned and taken away from YAS.

Lastly, I wanted to add that the event provided me with a comforting family feeling every time I am with my group of peers and the counselors that attend. The weekend makes everything seem like you’re at home. Home is where the heart is, and to me, heart is where the people of the Young Adult Summit are!

AARBF’s Upcoming 7th Annual Firefighter Bachelor Auction

2009 Bachelor Auction

SOUND THE ALARMS! It’s the ladies’ event of the season– the red hot, 7th Annual Firefighter Bachelor Auction! Even though I’ve been out and about to several great community fundraisers for AARBF, the Bachelor Auction will be my first AARBF-produced event… and I can’t wait!

On April 24th at the Red Devil Lounge, Bay Area firefighters with hearts of gold will take to the stage amid hundreds of adoring ladies to raise money for AARBF’s burn survivor support services. We’ve secured some really great bachelors who are very eager to raise as much as they can for AARBF. And the ladies who win their bids will go on a luxurious and memorable date with their bachelors—the date is shaping up to be a magical evening that they won’t soon forget!

Event Producer Emily Goldman has returned to organize this fun and unpredictable night. We’ve been pounding pavement to secure some amazing supporters to make this year’s event super successful. We’re elated to have the support of Men’s Wearhouse, W Hotel, Nob Hill Spa, San Francisco Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology, Americano Restaurant, One Stop Party Shop, Cheese Plus, CalShakes, IntimaGirl, Tango Diva, S-Factor, Cynsational Delights, Sugarmonkey, Tolomei and Associates, Podesta Baldocci, Author Richard Goldman, It’s Just Lunch, Divalicious Productions, Crunch Fitness, Oakland Fire Department Station 20, San Francisco International Beer Festival, and Kaia Foods. It’s going to be a great evening!

Tickets are still available, but going quickly. VIP admission is $50 and includes an exclusive VIP reception, meet and greet with the bachelors, premiere seating in the VIP lounge, goodie bags for the first 50 VIPs, yummy treats… and more! General admission is $20 in advance and $25 at the door. A performance by 80s cover band, Pop Rocks follows the auction. This event is for ages 21 and older only.

Get your tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/57700. Hope to see you all there!

Jessica Derrick

Director of Development and AARBF Supporter!

Burn ordeal blesses Teen

Emily Schoettler at UMC while being treated for her burns.

By Emily Schoettler,

The day after Labor Day in 1996, an unexpected tragedy changed my family’s and my life forever. However, what some may consider a horrific accident, I consider a blessing.

When I was 3 years old, I experienced a nasty case of croup. The affliction caused my diaphragm to close up and I was unable to breathe. As a normal routine, my mom started filling up the shower to steam the bathroom. When I had prior croup attacks, I would sit in the steamy bathroom. This would help my lungs open up so I could breathe.

Unfortunately, the shower method took too long. Thinking quick, my mom filled a cooking pot with water and boiled it. Racing to my bed where I was laying down, she set the boiling water next to me so I could inhale the steam.

While laying down, I managed to elbow the pot and the water poured onto my right shoulder, upper arm and chest.

In shock, I repeated with no cries or screams, “Mommy, it’s hot, I just want to go to bed.”

My mom, more horrified than me, reacted fast and stripped me of my nightgown. Along with my pajamas, my skin was pulled because of the third degree burns I had experienced. My stepfather raced into my room after heard my mom panicking.

Frantically, my mom scooped me up and drove 90 mph to Kaiser Permanente from my house in Madera. From Kaiser an ambulance rushed me to the UMC Burn Unit in Downtown Fresno. During my time in the Burn Unit, I was treated by the best doctors and nurses in the state.

Unfortunately, I did not want to eat anything. This hindered new skin growth because of the lack of nutrients. As a substitute, a feeding tube was fed down my throat.

As a result of my burns, I needed surgery for a skin graft. They sliced thin pieces of skin off my back and stitched the grafts to my blistered flesh.

Three weeks later, I was released and sent back home. For a year I was forced to wear tight, form-fitting pressure garments so my skin grafts would not expand and bubble.

As a teenager, image seems to be everything. Perfect body size and looks become a priority for many girls my age.

I struggled with being insecure about a large scar on my shoulder and chest for a long time. Tank tops and bathing suits can be very uncomfortable for me even today. The stares from others can be awkward, yet the worries lessen as I mature.

When I tell people who ask me about my scar, everyone asks me a question that makes me laugh: “Did it hurt?” I often jokingly reply that it merely tickled.

Finally, I realized how truly blessed I am. This past summer I had the opportunity of going to a camp for burn survivors for kids from ages 5-16, called Champ Camp. One thing I can say after that trip is God is so good to me.

Spending a week around kids my age who had shared my same struggles made me strong. It was such an inspiration to see little kids who had far worse scars than me appear to have no worries in life.

I also got to speak to some girls in my cabin about how I live with a burn. I encouraged them to ignore what other people think, explaining how blessed they should feel for being alive.

I plan on returning to the camp next year and have been recommended as a counselor-in-training when I turn 18. The trip forever changed my life and I hope I can continue helping other burn victims.

So while others tell me how sorry they are for me and how awful the experience surely was, I explain how I am not truly affected. God makes everything happen for a reason. Although my mom will never forgive herself and takes the blame, I always tell her my burn turned out a blessing and made me who I am today.

This article originally appeared in the Fresno Christian High School’s Internet newspaper, The Feather Online on Nov. 13, 2008. To view the original article, click HERE.

Giving Back Through Art

Frozen Pond by Purple Hat

When you visit the Central California office of the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation you can’t help but notice the nature themed art work that surrounds the environment. Burn survivor Rex, AKA “Purple Hat,” has not only filled the walls of the Fresno office with his art pieces, but he is also having an art show where 10% of the proceeds will be donated to AARBF.

For years, Purple Hat has been trying to lighten the pain and emotional distress that burn survivors and their loved ones experience during this trying time by creating and displaying his art within the community.

Purple Hat originally had posted much of his art work in the old Fresno Burn Unit. “Unfortunately, all of that art had to be relocated when University Medical Center moved to its new location” but Purple Hat found a new home for his art pieces at the office of the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation in Fresno.

Recently, however, Purple Hat’s art will be displayed at the new burn center, the Community Regional Medical Center’s Leon S. Peters Burn Unit. “I am so excited about the opportunity to give burn survivors something to look at during their long stays.”

Purple Hat is currently presenting his art show at the Fresno Spectrum Art Gallery, 608 E. Olive in the Tower District, now through March 29, 2009. He will also be conducting a book reading on Saturday, March 28, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the same location.

For more information about this art show, contact the Spectrum Art Gallery at 266-0691
To learn more about Purple Hat, visit his website HERE

When You Change Your Clock, Change Your Batteries!

Smoke Alarm Batteries Should Be Changed at Least Once a Year

It’s that time of year again; time to move our clocks forward and lose that precious hour of sleep. It’s also time for you to change your smoke alarm batteries!

Your smoke alarm batteries should be changed at least once a year. It’s easy to remember to change your smoke alarm batteries when you make it a habit to change them the same time you change all of your clocks.

Do you think you will still have trouble changing your batteries once a year? You may benefit from purchasing the 10-year lithium batteries. It is however; still important to make sure your smoke alarm is in working condition by testing it monthly.

According to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), an estimated 65% of home fire deaths were in homes where there were no working smoke alarms. Smoke alarms save lives.

Keep your family safe by testing your smoke alarm monthly and annually replacing the batteries. It is also important to create a home escape plan in case of a fire. Below are helpful links from the NFPA to keep you and your family safe!

Home Escape Plan
What You Should Know About Smoke Alarms

TGI Friday’s Throws a Benefit for AARBF! Come join in the fun!

T.G.I. Friday's Benefit

There’s a party going on and the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation is benefitting. T.G.I Friday’s is having a charity night on Monday, March 2, 2009 from 11 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. at the Puente Hills T.G.I.Friday’s Restaurant – 17427 Colima Road (626) 839-5044. When you present the event’s flier, 20% of the evenings sales will be donated to AARBF. Come out and support AARBF! Call our Burbank office at (818) 848-0223 and ask for Melissa and she’ll email the flier to you or email her at mkhamvongsa@aarbf.org. See you there!

AARBF Reaches over 10,600 Kids Through Fire Fighters in Safety Education!

A South San Francisco Fire Fighter after a SFFISE presentation

The months of August through December have been a busy time for Fire Fighters in Safety Education (FISE). Schools in San Francisco, Napa, and Atascadero have all done FISE presentations for the first half of the school year. Over 10,600 kids have been taught fire and burn safety by fire fighters and volunteers.

FISE (Fire fighters in Safety Education) is an AARBF program that visits school children in preschool to fifth grade and provides thirty minute presentations. Fire fighters and other volunteers teach the children burn prevention and what to do in case of a fire. Children are also given activity books and other materials to take home.

Topics covered during a FISE presentation include:
Stop Drop and Roll
Stay Low and Go
Cool-A-Burn
How to Dial 911
Toys vs. Tools
Home Escape Plans
Hug a Firefighter

Lots of students and teachers have already told AARBF that they firefighters did an awesome job and that they learned so much! A big thanks to all the firefighters and volunteers who made the 2008 Fall FISE a big success!

If you are interested in our FISE program contact your nearest AARBF office to learn more!

Back to School-Alyssa’s Story

Alyssa at her Mom and Dad's Wedding, September 2008

Going back to school after a burn injury can be scary. Alyssa Mercado a 6 year old child burn survivor experienced the fear first hand. According to Alyssa’s mother, Fermina Mercado, when Alyssa returned to school the children in Alyssa’s class were not very nice to her. They stared, asked impolite questions, and others did not want to play with Alyssa during recess.

Alyssa was connected to AARBF through Shriner’s Hospital and hoped for some kind of relief when she returned to school in September 08. AARBF went to Richard Riordan Elementary to complete a Back to School presentation with Alyssa’s class.

After the presentation Alyssa’s entire school experience changed. Fermina Mercado, Alyssa’s mother stated “Alyssa is very happy to go to school each morning, and wakes up extra early and excited.” Fermina further explained that the positive attitude comes from the new friends that Alyssa is making at school; thanks to the Back to School presentation, put on by the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation and the good new is that “the Back to School presentation works, because it helped Alyssa want to be at school. She is very happy,” says her mother.

The Back to School presentation helps burn survivors re-enter the classroom environment. The presentation can take place after a long absence due to a burn injury or burn surgery, or simply at the beginning of every school year to ensure an environment of acceptance for the burn survivor from school-peers.

The Back to School presentation educates children in the K-12 school grades. It teaches them about the burn survivor’s accident and the physical and emotional ramifications because of it. The presentation also touches on burn prevention, like how to create Exit Drills in the Home in case of a fire and when to “Stop, Drop, and Roll.” This presentation is catered to the needs of the school based on grade, age, size of the group (classroom, or assembly presentation), and time limits.
You can call your regional office of the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation to schedule a Back to School presentation. The numbers are:
• Southern CA; 1800-255-BURN
• Central CA; 1888-492-BURN
• Northern CA 1800-755-BURN