Burn Response 101: Your Guide to Effective Burn Wound Care
There's no hiding that severe burns can be one of the most confronting injuries for a first responder to treat but also, one of the most painful and life-threatening injuries for a casualty.
Here at TacMed, we are committed to equipping you with the knowledge and skills to handle any emergency with confidence. Whether you’re cooking pasta on your home stove or stepped on an IED in a war zone, burn injuries can happen when you least expect them. Now, we know comparing a kitchen mishap to a battlefield incident might seem like comparing a mozzie bite to a croc attack, but there are some similarities in the treatment of these casualties. Let’s dive into the essentials of burn response.
Understanding Burns
ANZCOR defines a burn as "an injury to the skin or other organic tissue primarily caused by heat or due to radiation, radioactivity, electricity, friction or chemicals."
While we no longer classify burns into the 3 traditional categories (1st, 2nd, 3rd degree) that you likely have heard about, there are some key criteria for recognising a "significant burn" that needs immediate professional medical intervention.
Serious/Life-Threaten Burns include:
- Burns greater than 10% Total Body Surface Area (TBSA)
- Burns greater than 5% TBSA in children
- Full Thickness burns greater than 5% TBSA
- Burns of Special Areas – Face, Hands, Feet, Genitalia, Perineum, Major Joints and circumferential limb or chest burns
- Burns with inhalation injury
- Electrical burns
- Chemical burns
- Burns with pre-existing illness
- Burns associated with major trauma
- Burns at the extremes of age – young children and the elderly.
- Burn injury in pregnant women
- Non-accidental burns
Remember, regardless of the severity, proper wound care is crucial for all burn injuries.

Immediate Response
When confronted with any burn injury, remember these steps:
- Ensure scene safety
- Stop the burning process:
- Stop, Drop, Cover and Roll
- Smother any flames with a blanket
- Douse with water if safe to do so.
- Remove any clothing or jewellery near the burn site
- Run cool (not cold) water over the for at least 20 minutes if you have the water available.
- Elevate an affected limb where circumferential burns are present, to help reduce swelling
- After cooling the burn, cover with a sterile, non-stick dressing from your kit
The main goals of first aid for burns are to stop the burning process, cool the affected area, and cover the burn. By doing so, you can provide pain relief and minimise tissue damage.

Dressings for Burns Wound Care
Proper dressing is crucial for effective burn wound care, and at TacMed, we're all about equipping you with the right gear. Having a few key items in your first aid kit can make all the difference when responding to burns. Here’s what you need to know when choosing the right dressings:
- Must maintain a moist wound environment and does not dry out the area
- Protects against infection
- Allows for easy removal without causing further trauma
- Secure the dressing with a bandage, ensuring that it’s not too tight.
- The latest hi-tech development in pre-hospital treatment of burns
- Stable-sheeting hydrogel structure guarantees even coverage and distribution of cooling activity over the entire burn surface
- Permeable to water vapor and oxygen but impermeable to bacteria, to protect wounds from external contamination while allowing them to breathe.
- Hydrates the Burn Site to give relief from pain and encourage faster healing
- Non-adherent and non-toxic, ensuring minimal irritation and maximum relief
- Can remain on the wound site for up to 2 hours
- Sizeable bandage suitable to provide a sterile protective covering for large burns.
- Non-adherent and will not stick to damaged skin
- Detachable occlusive layer (48x48cms) to minimise loss of heat and moisture from the wound site
- This bandage works well to secure hydrogel dressings in place and protect the wound area.

Critical Burn Care
For Severe burns, remember:
- Maintain an open airway and assess if the person is breathing normally. If they are not breathing normally, commence CPR.
- Always keep the person warm with a blanket to help prevent shock. Be careful not to let the blanket stick to any uncovered burn wounds.
- Patients should be monitored closely for hypothermia and cooling of a burn should be discontinued if hypothermia develops.
- Always seek immediate medical attention. Call 000 for an ambulance.
- Radiation burns are caused by solar sunburn, arc welders, lasers, industrial microwaves, nuclear radiation, and even certain cancer treatments. These burns should be treated as a heat/thermal burn.
For Inhalation Burns, remember:
- Always assume inhalation injury if there are burns to the face, nasal hairs, eyebrows or eyelashes, or if there is evidence of soot in the nose or mouth
- Always assume inhalation injury if the patient was trapped in an enclosed space for some time with hot or toxic gas, steam or fumes from fire or chemicals
- Inhalation burn can result from gases, even if they are not hot
- Never assume a patient is stable following inhalation injury just because they are talking, breathing and moving (delayed lung damage may occur up to 24 hours later)
- Always maintain an open airway and give oxygen if available and you are trained to administer.
- Always seek urgent definitive care for a suspected inhalation burn.
For Electrical Burns, remember:
- Electrical burns are often associated with cardiac arrest, respiratory complications and loss of consciousness
- Always isolate the power supply first without touching the patient
- Stay at least 10m away from high voltage power sources (ie downed power lines) and never attempt to remove wires or other electricity conductors until the power has been turned off. Don't forget, everything will conduct electricity if the voltage is high enough!
- Commence CPR, call for an ambulance and give oxygen if available and you are trained to do so.
For Chemical Burns, remember:
- The aim of chemical burn first aid is not to cool the burn but instead to dilute the chemical.
- Use PPE and avoid contact with the chemical or contaminated materials
- Move the person to a safe place and remove the chemical and contaminated clothing and jewellery as soon as possible.
- Flush the burn area with running water for at least 20 minutes to an hour until the stinging stops
- Always call for an ambulance and refer to the instructions on the chemicals label for further specific treatment. Call the Poisons Information Center [131 126]
What not to do:
- Do not apply any creams, ointments or butter to the burned area.
- Never use ice, as it can cause more harm.
- Do not break blisters!
- Never peel off adherent clothing or burnt substances.
- Do not attempt to neutralise acid burns with another chemical.
- Never apply hydrogel dressings to chemical burns.
Having the right supplies on hand can make you feel like a pro when responding to burns. We always recommend stocking your first aid kit with a few different sizes of burn dressings dependant on your specific needs and environment.
Need help with that? Send an email to info@tacmedaustralia.com.au or give us a call on 1300 862 633, we are always happy to help!
References:
- ANZCOR Guideline 9.1.3 - First Aid for Burns
- ANZBA Rescources
- ANZBA Initial Management of Severe Burns PDF
- ANZBA Consensus Statement: First aid and the use of hydrogels
- TacMed First Aid Burn Treatment Supplies