(Syria Shrine – Pittsburgh, PA) -- Feb. 2–8, 2020, is Burn Awareness Week.
During this time, Shriners Hospitals for Children® will begin its annual burn awareness and prevention campaign. Since the 1960s, Shriners Hospitals for Children has been a leader in burn care, research and education — and burn injury prevention is a key component in these efforts.
Burn Awareness Week is Shriners Hospitals for Children’s kickoff of a yearlong educational campaign aimed at burn awareness and prevention. Free educational materials, available via the website beburnaware.org, are designed to be a resource for firefighters, teachers, parents and others concerned with the safety and well-being of children.
Building on the theme “Be Burn Aware,” our focus is on preventing burn injuries in the home, because most preventable burn injuries occur in residences. Homes are the sites of thousands of burn injuries to children every year, including scalds, fire-related injuries, and even electrical burns. Many of these types of incidents may be prevented by implementing some simple safety precautions.
The campaign features two child-friendly characters, Boots and Brewster – a caped, cuddly bear and a googly-eyed teapot – who are presented in activity books for children ages 3-7 and 8-12. The entertaining duo leads children through the various rooms of a house, pointing out dangers and how to easily correct or avoid them. The coloring pages, word searches, cartoons and other activities are designed to grab children’s attention and present the information in a memorable, age-appropriate manner. In addition, tip sheets and other materials emphasize prevention of scalds and fire-related and electrical burns.
Shriners Hospitals has also created an animated video, Boots and Brewster: The Burn Awareness Pair, which kids are sure to enjoy. In the video, available on YouTube.com/ShrinersHospitals, Boots and Brewster take viewers on a fun and educational adventure to help them become more burn aware.
Everyone concerned with keeping children safe is encouraged to participate in the yearlong campaign by visiting beburnaware.org for burn prevention tips and information on how to order the free materials.
About Shriners International
Shriners International, a fraternity based on fun, fellowship and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief and truth, founded Shriners Hospitals for Children as its official philanthropy in 1922. What began as one hospital is now a world-renowned health care system with locations in three countries. The fraternity, which has nearly 200 chapters in several countries and thousands of clubs around the world, continues to support this unique health care system. For more information, please visit shrinersinternational.org.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children
Shriners Hospitals for Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research and outstanding medical education. Our health care system provides advanced care for children with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate. Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. For more information, please visit shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.