14,500 Lose Their Lives to Burn Injuries

The summer is a great time for firing up the grill, which also means it is the season for burn injuries.

One tip to avoid all burn injuries is to avoid using gas on the grill. According to Bob Wall, Public Safety Education Coordinator, "Good parents don't use gas to start fires. People who mix gas and fire are fooling themselves if they think that's a normal behavior." Looking at a national survey, Wall added that while most parents do not use gas to start fires, they do think that it is normal behavior.

Due to this misinformation, nearly 1500 children per year are killed or injured in gasoline fires. In total, 14,500 Americans lose their lives due to burn injuries and subsequent infections. One expert, Amanda Emerson, adds that "Our research shows that parents know that gasoline is extremely flammable and that mixing gas and fire is not safe. But for some people, outdated habits die hard."