A
5200 Harry Hines Blvd.
,
Dallas
,
TX
75235
- connect with a hospital unit or department
- 214-590-8000
-
email us
- locate a patient
- connect with a hospital unit
- 214-590-8000
- schedule an appointment with our clinics if you are a new patient
- 214-590-5601
- praise staff or hospital
- report patient care issues
- 469-419-0820
-
email us
- help with financial issues
- registration and payment
- 214-590-4900
-
read more
- provide spiritual or emotional comfort
- 214-590-8512
-
learn more
- provide support for MyChart
- Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-7p.m
- 214-590-7000
- register for a community event or Parkland speaker
- 214-590-1152
-
read more
- provide information about Parkland jobs
- 214-590-8073
-
read more
- provide information on products and equipment
- 214-590-4600
- provide supplier information
- 214-590-4600
- Visitation hours may vary by floor
- 214-590-8000
- Main Retail Café: Mon - Sun | 6:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Starbucks Café: WISH Building | Mon - Fri | 5:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- Park Market Café: Mon - Fri | 6:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. | 8 p.m. - 4 a.m. | Sat -Sun | 7 p.m. - 4 a.m.
- Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday & Sunday: 10 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- 214-590-8831
- Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
- Monday - Friday: 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.
- Saturday: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday: Closed
- Holiday hours may be different
Posted: 9/27/2017
Parkland burn center experts offer cookout safety tips
With the warm fall days lingering, friends and families are sure to be gathering at the lake, backyard pool or tailgate parties. And while there’s nothing better than the sound and smell of steaks and burgers sizzling on the grill, if you’re not careful the weekend of fun can quickly turn to tragedy.
Each year an average of 8,900 home fires are caused by grilling, and close to half of all injuries involving grills are due to thermal burns. While half of the people who grill do it year-round, the summer and autumn months are peak for grill fires.
More than 30 people were injured so severely in the last two years from grilling accidents that they required admission to Parkland Health & Hospital System’s Regional Burn Center. Many of these incidents involved using lighter fluid or an accelerant to light the grill or increase the size of the fire.
“No matter what kind of grill you’re using, flammable liquids should never be added to the fire,” said Stephanie Campbell, RN, Parkland’s Burn Program Manager. “Keep lighter fluid containers out of reach of children since they like to mimic adult behavior.”
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) also cautions that children and pets should be kept at least three feet away from the grill area.
“It’s the same process you should use in your kitchen,” Campbell said. “Children should be taught from a very young age that they can’t come near the stove or reach for anything on top of it. The same rules should apply to an outdoor grill that apply to the stove in the kitchen. And, like the stove, never leave the grill unattended.”
The NFPA offers the following tips to safely cook grilled food:
• Keep the grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup.
• When charcoal grilling, wait several minutes after spraying charcoal with lighter fluid to ignite the coals. This allows explosive vapors to dissipate.
• Never add lighter fluid to already hot coals. This can cause an explosion.
• Store plastic lighters inside your home. The weather can cause the plastic to crack and leak flammable fluid onto outdoor surfaces.
• Keep a safe distance from the hot grill – even after the coals are extinguished. Charcoal can stay hot enough to burn the skin for 24 hours.
• When gas grilling, always check the fuel connections before lighting the grill. Never use a lighter to test where there is a leak. Instead, spray soapy water on the connections and look for bubbles to identify leaks.
• Clean the tubes that disperse gas under the grill. These tubes can collect debris and create gas blockages that lead to spontaneous explosions.
“It’s also important to wear the right clothing when you’re in charge of doing the grilling,” Campbell said. “Clothing can easily catch fire, so be sure your shirt tails, sleeves or apron strings don’t dangle over the grill.”
And most importantly, Campbell added, be ready to react quickly if needed.
“If you don’t have a fire extinguisher, keep a bucket of sand next to the grill. Never use water to put out a grease fire,” she added.
Established in 1962, the Parkland Burn Center is the second largest civilian burn center in the nation, providing care to more than 2,200 patients annually. Serving North Texas and surrounding areas, this comprehensive burn center is one of only 62 verified burn centers in North America and the only one in North Texas, and provides all services from emergency treatment to intensive care to rehabilitation and outpatient follow-up care.
For more information on services available at Parkland, please visit www.parklandhospital.com