a. General Seriousness of Burns.

Human beings exist in an environment that contains elements which can be hazardous to our health. Excessive heat, excessive cold, dangerous chemicals, fire, and water are a few of these elements.

Whatever causes burns (fire, electricity, etc.,) is of particular concern to us since burns are a major cause of accidental death. Each year more than 2,000,000 million burn accidents cause over 90,000 individuals to be hospitalized.

Almost 10,000 people die from burns yearly. Injuries from burns can be painful, require many months of treatment, and involve loss of function. Burns are especially hard on children and the elderly, not only in healing but also in surviving the injury.

b. Importance to the Armed Forces.

Today’s military uses more fuel than ever before in order to provide ground and air mobility. The extensive presence of this fuel increases the risk of burns to military personnel. During conflict, there is a greater chance of these fuels igniting accidentally and causing burns to those nearby.

Accidents with thermonuclear weaponry can also result in burns. Use of more fuel and the development of thermonuclear weaponry make the possibility of instant, large numbers of burn patients a medical and a logistical problem. Whether you deal with
one casualty or a large number of casualties, it is most important that you have the knowledge to be able to assess the severity of a burn and treat the burn. Your actions could mean saving a casualty’s life.