February 9, 2021 - New Jersey Division of Fire Safety Recognizes National Burn Awareness Week February 7-14, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Residents Are Being Urged to Take Protective Measures to Avoid Scald and Burn Injuries

TRENTON, NJ – During National Burn Awareness Week, which runs February 7-14, 2021, the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety is urging residents to take the following protective measures to ensure family members, including children, don’t fall victim to scald or burn injury.

• Install and maintain smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home. Test them once a month to ensure they are working properly. Consider using 10-year lithium battery-powered smoke and CO alarms. A new smoke alarm regulation, which became effective January 1, 2019 in New Jersey, requires 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms be installed in homes built before January 1, 1977. The requirement includes one- and two-family dwellings, motel rooms, and housing units in rooming houses. The State’s Uniform Construction Code requires all homes built after January 1, 1977, to have alternating current (AC) hardwired alarms installed inside the dwellings, and those homes are not affected by the new regulation.

• Create and practice a family fire escape plan and involve children in the planning, ensuring that everyone in the house knows at least two ways out of every room and identify a central meeting place outside.                                   

• Use safe cooking practices. Never leave food unattended on the stove. Supervise or restrict children’s use of stoves, ovens, and especially microwaves.

• Set your water heater’s thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Infants and small children may not be able to get away from water that may be too hot. Maintaining a constant thermostat setting can help control the water temperature throughout your home preventing it from getting too hot. Test the water at the tap if possible.

For more resources on burn and scald injury, visit https://ameriburn.org/national-burn-awareness-week-2021.

The Division of Fire Safety serves as the central fire service agency in the State. The Division is responsible for the development and enforcement of the State Uniform Fire Code, as well as for implementing community risk reduction and firefighter training programs.

For more information about DCA, visit https://nj.gov/dca/ or follow the Department on social media.