| OCR Text |
Show 'Stop, drop and roll' for burn prevention Submitted by the Park City Fire District We've all heard the catchy phrase, Stop, Drop and Roll. It's what you're supposed to do when your clothes catch fire. We want you to understand why "Stop, Drop and Roll' ' could save your life. Stop! Why Stop?" Very simply, because it keeps you from running. When clothing ignites, people run because of their natural instinct to flee from danger. Others think they can make it to the kitchen sink, the tub or shower to use water to put themselves out. Nothing could be further from the truth. Fire spreads with amazing speed and running whips air on the flames, making them spread faster still. Drop! Why "Drop?" Because fire burns up. A standing person is in effect a lighter torch. When a person is lying on the ground, flames spread more slowly. Equally important, when you're standing "up" your face and eyes, mouth and nose are in direct line of the fire. Dropping protects the face, eyes and respiratory respira-tory tract from possibly fatal fire and burns Roll! Why "Roll?" Because this smothers the flames. The rolling action alternately covers one section of your body, then another and squashes it on the ground, depriving the fire of air. If, in the course of your rolling, you can grab a rug or blanket to wrap yourself in, so much the better. Who should learn Stop, Drop and Roll?: Youngsters,' teens and young and mature adults. Make it a party game played to a lively record. Everyone, even adults, needs practice. Stop, Drop and Roll until it becomes an automatic response. Stop, Drop and Roll should be an effective way to snuff out clothing fires. It may save your life. But if your clothes catch fire chances are good you will suffer some burns no matter how quickly you stop, drop and roll. Second- and third-degree bums are frequent outcomes of clothing fires. Apply liberal amounts of cool water to the burn. Remove jewelry, belts, shoes or other items which could cause constriction as the burned area swells-but do not attempt to remove clothing which has bonded to the burn area. Call for medical assistance at once. ' |
