Hampshire firefighter issues hot water warning after child left scarred by boiling water and taken to hospital by air ambulance

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service crew member – who wished to remain anonymous – shared his story as part of National Burn Awareness Day on Wednesday, October 11 in hopes of helping others deal with similar situations.

The incident happened on what “started out like a normal day for the family in December 2021” and saw the young boy left with life-changing scars.

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The Hampshire firefighter said: “I remember the day well, we were just down the road from our home, on our way out, when the seam on his hot water bottle burst with boiling water gushing out all over his hands, abdomen and legs.

“As a firefighter I am used to attending incidents where we need to provide the initial treatment of a burn injury, ensuring we cool it down and cover it up to keep it clean. So I was able to lean on my Immediate Emergency Care training, taking him back to our house, removing his clothes and putting him into a cool bath of water, whilst calling for an ambulance.”

“It was the most sobering of feelings seeing the air ambulance crews, who I know from work, in my home. They did a tremendous job, as they always do.”

The Children’s Burns Trust’s guidance says that good first aid following a burn or scald can make an enormous difference in recovery times and the severity of scarring. They want people to remember to Cool, Call, Cover;

Cool the burn with cool running water for 20 minutes and remove all clothing and jewellery (unless it is melted or firmly stuck to the wound). Call for help for any burn larger than a 50p coin: 999, 111 or local GP for advice. Cover with cling film or a clean non-fluffy dressing or cloth. Make sure the patient is kept warm.

The youngster suffered around 15 per cent burns from partial through to full thickness and was transferred to a specialist burns unit.

Over the following weeks, some of his injuries didn’t recover as hoped and he went on to have multiple operations involving major skin grafts. He had to be catheterised and needed a feeding tube to achieve the required nutrient intake for the recovery process.

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The firefighter added: “We were in hospital for a couple of weeks and the care was a credit to the amazing NHS.

“These injuries are long-term and debilitating, especially for a young boy, and nearly two years on he is waiting to begin his scar reduction laser surgery.

“He is doing amazingly now but that time will remain in our family’s mind forever. I would love to think that by sharing his story it will help prevent such things happening to another family because a serious burn injury doesn’t just heal after a week, a burn injury is for life.”

For more first-aid and prevention tips, visit the Children’s Burns Trust website.