WHAT TO DO IF… YOU BURN YOURSELF

Llanberis Mountain Rescue co-ordinator Rob Johnson has some great advice.

Ow! S**t! That’s hot!

Quick! Put the burnt appendage in cold or room-temperature water.

That’s straight out of the stream – it’s not clean!

Doesn’t matter. Get the burn in the water ASAP.

It’s painful!

Yeah, take an ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatory (NSAID) painkiller, then a non-NSAID like paracetamol afterwards if you need it.

Ok, that, feels a bit better. Done?

Not yet, you want to keep the burn in cold water for 20 minutes.

I’m getting cold. Can I take it out yet?

It’s only been five minutes! Put some layers on or wrap yourself in a sleeping bag.

How do I dress the burn?

Clean it gently with tepid, drinkable water. Dry it and cover it with a nonstick burn dressing like Burn Stop or Water Gel. If you don’t have that, clingfilm or something similar will do. Then wrap something absorbent around it to soak up fluid. Change that when it gets soaked.

Should I put aloe vera gel on it?

Sure, when it’s totally dry and has stopped leaking fluid.