Sights that appal even Ambulance veterans

BY KATHERINE HOBY

Lindsay and Debby Sattler have pretty much seen it all. Their role as St John Ambulance officers takes them to some harrowing accident scenes.

But they still find it tough when called out to an emergency involving a child - one that is generally preventable.

Early on a March morning this year, a callout came for the husband-and-wife team.

Mr Sattler's pager gave only basic details: a child had been burned. There was no indication of the severity until they arrived at the house.

Inside, a 13-month-old boy was in a laundry tub, screaming and shaking, as water rushed from a faucet on to him.

"It was a little Maori boy and the brown pigment layer had been burned off his skin. The hard water was just peeling layers off him."

Even though Mr and Mrs Sattler have been in the job for six and three years respectively, they say they will never get used to scenes like the one they saw that day.

What frustrates them most is that such incidents are "entirely preventable."

"Some incidents are simply ignorance at work," said Mr Sattler.

"And burns are such a disfiguring injury, one of the worst for a child.

"You've got it for life virtually.

"Small children should never be burned the way that boy was."

His initial assessment was that the baby was burned over 27 per cent of his body, mostly on the arms and shoulders.

He had pulled on the dangling cord of a jug, and it toppled over, pouring boiling water over him.

His family were told to bathe him in cold water until the ambulance arrived. They did so, but the force of the water from the laundry faucet was too hard on his poor, burned body.

The Sattlers say there are some commonsense procedures to follow if a member of your family suffers a serious burn.

People should remember the basics, such as tucking kettle cords up, and pot handles in, Mr Sattler said.

"It should be second nature, a routine - just like putting on a seatbelt."

He said one of the worst burns incidents he had attended was shortly after he started work as an ambulance officer.

The patient was a boy about 15 months old.

"He was wriggling around, poor lad, and my colleague had to restrain him.

"When my mate stood up, he left an imprint of his hand on the boy's chest. It was hideous. We both just cried and cried."

Mrs Sattler said it should not be forgotten that a moment's inattention can lead to excruciating burns, and scarring for life.

"There's enough information out there - let's use it."