Northern students play burn victims

Nursing students at Montana State University-Northern learn how to treat patients who are sick or injured, but Friday, three nursing students played another role. They were actors in a professional training exercise at Northern Montana Hospital.

Using some very convincing makeup, the three played the roles of burn victims.

About 30 people - emergency room personnel and local emergency medical technicians - surveyed the injuries and, with help from trainers from the American Burn Association, came up with suggestions on how best to treat the injured people.

The students and the professionals combined serious discussion about the serious topics and a little light-hearted talk to break the tension.

• Lacy Bricker's arms and face were covered with burns.

"I was smoking in bed, and I blew up," she explained.

To add to the authenticity, she carried a cigarette - a Pall Mall, she said.

• Amber Aafedt had black marks over her arms. She played the role of a 57-year-old who was trimming a tree in a lift bucket. The metal bucket came into contact with an 8,000-volt power line.

"I'm in pain," she yelled out, to convince those watching.

• Aubrey Jetmore played the role of another woman with serious burns. She was covered with burn marks.

These are just a few of the burns that emergency rooms may have to treat, officials explained.

Montana hospitals have treated people who have caught on fire while smoking battery acid because they couldn't find meth. People who have been drinking sometimes pass out in campfires, he said.

After spending Friday morning listening to lectures and taking part in practical exercises on computers, the professionals were guided through the methods to use in figuring out what the injuries were and how to treat them.

Programs such as this are vital for Montana hospitals, said Allison Miller of the Western Burn Center. There are no burn centers in Montana, she said. Emergency rooms want to get burn patients airlifted to the burn centers, she said. But first, they must give them basic treatment, stabilize them and treat any other forms of trauma.

While burn injuries are often unsightly and painful, the trauma can often be life-threatening, she said. Emergency personnel have to treat the trauma before sending patients to burn centers in Salt Lake City or Seattle, she said.

Still, the first hours of treatment are important, so emergency personnel have to know how to treat them, even though such injuries are relatively rare in most Montana hospitals.

One EMT said she could recall only one burn injury at Northern Montana Hospital in the last year.

Miller said, because there are so few incidents, it is important that providers get training so they can be prepared for such emergencies.

Tips for treating burns

Cool the Burn

• According to the American Red Cross, the first step in treating a burn is cooling off the burn. Apply cloths soaked in cold water directly to the burn. Add more water to the cloths regularly to keep them cool.

Cover the Burn

• After the burn has been cooled, cover it with a sterile dressing. Wrap the bandages loosely to avoid infection and pain in the affected area.

• When a sterile dressing isn't available, a clean cloth will work.

Call emergency help

• If you have any doubt about the severity of the burn, dial 911.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/way_5480727_red-first-aid-steps-burns.html