The average age of paediatric burns patients is 4.3 years across Australia
Schools across Western Australia will have access to critical burn safety resources following the expansion of an innovative education program by Fiona Wood Foundation.Supported by Chevron Australia, the initiative will see the launch of three storybooks targeting children from kindergarten to year two as part of the Ben and Bella Burnsafe Superheroes education program.
The Ben and Bella Burnsafe Superheroes program provides early childhood educators with resources that will enable them to include key burn prevention and burn first aid messages in their teaching programs.
Data from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand reveals that in 2019/20,the most common cause of burn injury amongst paediatric patients was scalds (52%), followed by contact (25%) and flame burns (11%). The three-book series, with supporting teaching and learning activities, is centred around these three major causes of burn injury. Using a story-telling approach to build engagement, Ben and Bella take children on a journey to help identify causes of burn injury, prevention, and if a burn injury does result, simple burn first aid. The stories support early burns prevention education for children themselves, as well as their parents and extended family.
A cross curricula approach, with mapping to the Western Australian Kindergarten Curriculum Guidelines and the Western Australian Curriculum (P-2), as well as supporting teaching and learning activities, are key features of the burn prevention education program.
Early prevention education is crucial to avoid a burn injury. Professor Fiona Wood says,
“If children read these stories or have the stories read to them by their teachers, mums and dads, it will help them become more aware of the dangers of scalds, flames and other hot objects, which will keep children and all of us more burn safe.
Knowing the correct first aid can make a significant difference in the need for surgery, rehabilitation and the long-term outcome of the burn for our kids and learning at this young age will be something they remember for life”.
Support from Chevron Australia has enabled the Ben and Bella Burnsafe Superheroes prevention education program to be delivered across all Western Australian schools.
“Chevron Australia is proud to continue our support of the Fiona Wood Foundation, raising awareness of burns care and prevention across the community and improving outcomes for burns patients in Western Australia and beyond,” said Chevron Australia Chief Medical Officer Dr Max Hills.
The Ben and Bella Burnsafe Superheroes series will be available to all West Australia schools for the 2022 calendar year. For more information, please contact Di Lim at diane@fionawoodoundation.com