Be safe around fire this Australia Day

Admissions to the burns unit have increased by at least 100 per cent since December. Head of the Victorian Adult Burns Service at The Alfred, Heather Cleland, said the more common burns she had seen over summer often involved young men and barbecues, gas bottles, accelerants and boats.

“Having a barbecue on Australia day is very popular and it’s a great way to enjoy the day,” Miss Cleland said.

“However, we want people to spend the day with their family and friends, not with us at The Alfred. I urge everyone to check the connections on their gas bottles and make sure their barbecue is well-maintained. Also it’s important to keep children away from open flames.

“People need to show respect with fire – don’t take risks. Burns injuries are very painful and some even deadly. A significant number of our patients require surgery, some of them multiple surgeries, with weeks and weeks of recovery time.”

The Alfred patient Enes Goretic fell victim to a barbecue burn just before New Year’s Eve.

Mr Goretic was cooking on a portable camping stove in the backyard and about 15 minutes after use, he changed the gas bottle and was set alight.

“My clothes caught fire, I dropped and rolled and my friend threw a bucket of water at me,” he said.

“The pain was intense.”

He received burns to his face, arms, legs and torso and required extensive skins grafts, but Mr Goretic is recovering well.

“I’m one of the lucky ones but I’ll always have these scars as a reminder. Everyone just needs to take more time – I was rushing and I didn’t think. It wasn’t worth it.”

If you do sustain a burn, Miss Cleland said the best immediate treatment was cold, running water for at least 20 minutes and to seek medical attention for severe burns.