Newswise — MAYWOOD, IL – Loyola Medicine and the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance (IFSA) say safety must be your top priority when heating your home this winter. Home heating is the second leading cause of home fires.
The IFSA recommends keeping anything that can burn at least three feet away from space heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves and radiators, making sure to pay close attention to kids and pets. Evenings are peak times for home heating fires. Always remember to turn off space heaters when you leave the room or fall asleep.
Make sure you have a home fire escape plan for emergencies that is conscious of older adults who may need extra assistance. “Older adults have a higher home fire death rate, and heating is the second leading cause of fire deaths for people ages 65 and over,” said IFSA Executive Director, Philip Zaleski.
Joshua Carson, MD, medical director of Loyola Medicine's Burn Center, recommends reaching out to your local burn center if you do experience a burn injury. "A burn doesn't have to be serious to call us for advice," he said. Signs of a serious burn include skin discoloration, especially if the skin turns white or black, swelling, loss of sensation and burns covering a large area of the body. If burns cover more than a hand-sized area or affect the face, eyes, hands or feet, seek medical treatment immediately.
According to Dr. Carson, it's important to have burn injuries treated at hospitals with dedicated burn units because as burn injuries become less common, most physicians are not trained for advanced burn care. "There's a lot that goes into treating serious burns. Some require specialized nurses or surgical care, occupational and physical therapists and psychosocial support throughout the treatment and recovery process. By going to a burn unit, you can count on the right experts being there to provide the appropriate care to treat serious burns properly," he said.
Loyola Medicine’s Burn Center provides the most advanced burn care to patients. The center houses an expanded hydrotherapy area for cleaning and dressing wounds and a rehabilitation area where physical and occupational therapists work with patients. An outpatient burn clinic is open five days a week to provide follow-up care. Loyola’s multidisciplinary team at the Burn Center includes specialists from pulmonology, wound management, nutritional support and physical rehabilitation.
To learn more about protecting your family this winter season and additional fire safety information, visit the IFSA website at www.IFSA.org. To learn more about Loyola Medicine and the Burn Center or to schedule an appointment, visit loyolamedicine.org.
###
About Loyola Medicine
Loyola Medicine, a member of Trinity Health, is a nationally ranked academic, quaternary care system based in Chicago's western suburbs. The three-hospital system includes Loyola University Medical Center, Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, MacNeal Hospital, as well as convenient locations offering primary care, specialty care and immediate care services from more than 1,800 physicians throughout Cook, Will and DuPage counties. Loyola is a 547-licensed-bed hospital in Maywood that includes the William G. and Mary A. Ryan Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, a Level 1 trauma center, Illinois's largest burn center, a certified comprehensive stroke center and a children’s hospital. Having delivered compassionate care for over 50 years, Loyola also trains the next generation of caregivers through its academic affiliation with Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Established in 1961, Gottlieb is a 247-licensed-bed community hospital in Melrose Park with the Judd A. Weinberg Emergency Department, the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care and the Loyola Cancer Care & Research Facility at the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Center. MacNeal is a 374-licensed-bed teaching hospital in Berwyn with advanced medical, surgical and psychiatric services, acute rehabilitation, an inpatient skilled nursing facility and a 68-bed behavioral health program and community clinics.
For more information, visit loyolamedicine.org. You can also follow Loyola Medicine on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
About Trinity Health
Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, Catholic health care systems in the nation. It is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians caring for diverse communities across 25 states. Nationally recognized for care and experience, the Trinity Health system includes 88 hospitals, 131 continuing care locations, the second largest PACE program in the country, 125 urgent care locations and many other health and well-being services. Based in Livonia, Michigan, its annual operating revenue is $20.2 billion with $1.2 billion returned to its communities in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs.
For more information, visit www.trinity-health.org or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
RSS