It only takes:

- A second of distraction,

- Lack of knowledge,

- or improper supervision

for lives to be changed forever by a burn injury.

In the United States, unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death in children, adolescents, and adults < 50 years of age. In fact, injury causes more deaths to America’s youth than all other diseases combined. Burns are a leading cause of injury to people of all ages, with young children and older adults being at especially high risk.

In the United States, it is estimated that*:

• Each year, over 1.2 million people suffer a burn injury severe enough to seek emergency room treatment
• A burn/fire-related injury occurs every 30 minutes
• A burn/fire-related death occurs every 3 hours
• Fire departments respond to a fire every 23 seconds
• Over 3,500 residents and 60 firefighters die each year from fires
• Every day, over 300 children ages 0 to 19 are treated in emergency rooms for burn-related injuries and 2 children die as a result of being burned
• The United States death rate from fires ranks 8th highest among 25 other developed countries

Fire and burn injury affects everyone. Burn survivors often face a long and difficult road to recovery. The University of Michigan Trauma Burn Center has an unwavering commitment to the community to reduce the occurrence of these life-changing and devastating injuries.

Please join us in this effort to increase public awareness of the impact of burn injury and the importance of learning how to prevent a burn injury from happening to you and your loved ones.

* Sources: American Burn Association, National Fire Protection Association, Centers for Disease Control