HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Burns first aid
This page has links to information in other languages.
Important
If the person is seriously injured or not responding, call 111 for an ambulance.
Stop the burning and make things safe.
- If fire: put it out.
Stop, drop and roll the person on the ground until the fire is out.
If the fire is in a pot on the stove, remove it from the heat and cover it with something like a lid or chopping board. Do not try to carry it outside.
- If electrical: turn the current off.
- If water (scalding): remove any clothing near the burnt area of skin. DO NOT try to remove anything that is stuck to the burnt skin.
- If chemical: remove whatever is causing the burn.
For most chemical burns, immediately run water over the burn. Keep running water over it until a healthcare professional tells you to stop.
If the burn involves an elemental metal (lithium, potassium, sodium or magnesium) do not run water over it. Water can cause a chemical reaction that makes the burn worse. In this case soak the burn with mineral oil while waiting for medical attention.
If you work with chemicals, your workplace may have a management plan for exposure to certain chemicals. Send someone for help to check if there is an antidote or procedure that improves the situation.
Cool the burn for 20 minutes
This stops the burn doing more damage, and helps the pain. Do this immediately if possible (after making sure the area is safe and calling for help if needed). You can start this up to three hours after the injury.
- Put the burn under running, cold tap water for 20 minutes. Standing under a cold shower will help if the burn is on your back.
- Do not use ice or iced water.
- If water is not available then soak the area in a cool, clean liquid or use a burn gel. Do not use oils, as they can keep the heat in.
- Keep the person warm to prevent hypothermia. Children aged under 1 do not shiver, so pay particular attention to keeping them warm.
- Remove any clothing over the burn. DO NOT try to remove anything that is stuck to the burned skin.
- Remove any jewellery and watches, before the area swells.
Cover the burn
This helps to prevent infection and decrease pain.
- Use a clean, non-stick dressing or cling wrap (like Glad Wrap). If you do not have these, use a clean, non-fluffy covering like a sheet. Make sure the covering is loose, as the burned area may swell and if the covering is too tight it will cut off circulation.
- If you use a dressing, keep it in place with loose cling wrap or a loose bandage.
- If the burn is to an arm or leg, keep it raised to reduce swelling.
- If the burn is on the face or neck, keep the person upright rather than lying down.
Getting help
Call an ambulance on 111 if you are worried about a more severe injury, especially with electrical injuries, large burns or when the person has inhaled smoke.
Take a person to a doctor when:
- a child or older person is burned
- the burn is large (bigger than the palm of the person's hand)
- blisters form on the burn
- someone's face, hands, feet, genitals, joints or eyes are burned
- the burn is electrical (you might not realise how serious it is, as the damage can be internal, or under the skin)
- the burn is chemical
- someone might have breathed in smoke or toxic gas
- the burn goes the whole way around part of the body such as an arm, leg or neck
- the person is not up to date with their tetanus immunisation
- you have any concerns.
As well as seeing a doctor straight away, people with these burns also need to go back two days later so the doctor can see what is happening with the burn.
First aid information in other languages
You can find burns first aid information in Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Sudanese Arabic and Vietnamese on this page.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- St John – Burns
First aid and more information about how to help someone who has been burned, including with chemical burns and burns involving the mouth or throat
On the next page: Preventing burns
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Endorsed by Plastic Surgery Department, Canterbury DHB. Last reviewed May 2021.
SourcesReview key: HIBUR-30143
