Burn Injury Follow Up 2015

On July 11 while conducting ignition operations on a prescribed fire, one of the firefighters stopped igniting for a short period of time during which a patch of short grass flamed up behind the firefighter. The flames briefly grazed the leg of the firefighter’s pants—burning the calf of the firefighter’s right leg. The employee continued ignitions—unaware of the extent of the burn. It wasn't until later that evening when the employee was off duty that the severity of the burn was realized. Even so, the employee still believed that the burn was minor enough that seeking medical care was not necessary. Four days later, the employee showed another employee the burn, at which point it was brought to the supervisor’s attention. During the period between when the burn occurred and it was made known to the supervisor, the employee had been caring for the burn without medical supervision. The employee was taken to a medical care facility to have the burn examined. It was determined to be a second degree burn. The employee was given care instructions and was able to return to normal duties that same day.

Prescribed Fire, RLS, Health and Fitness, Burn Injury, Prescribed Fire Operations