MFA-L2.2

Burns, scalds and heat illness

MFA-M2 · Trauma · MFA-M2-A Bleeding and shock, burns and heat, fractures, and head and spinal injuries.

Galley, laundry, engine room, sun deck: burns are the everyday yacht injury. The rule that matters is **20 minutes of cool running water**, followed by a clean, non-stick cover.

Trauma: burns and temperature

Governing: Table A-VI/4-1 'burns, scalds and effects of heat and cold'; NHS burns and scalds guidance; RCUK First Aid Guidelines 2025, heat stroke.

Cool, cover, call

Step Detail
Stop the burning Remove from the source. Isolate electrics before touching an electrical casualty.
Cool Cool running water for 20 minutes, as soon as possible and ideally within 3 hours. If no tap, use cool bottled water or wet towels.
Remove Clothing and jewellery near the burn, not anything stuck to the skin. Rings come off before the finger swells.
Cover Cling film laid over the burn (not wrapped round a limb) or a clean non-fluffy dressing.
Keep warm Cool the burn, not the patient. Watch for hypothermia with large burns.
Advise Call TMAS for anything beyond small and superficial.

NHS guidance lists what not to do: no creams, oils or butter; no sticky plasters or adhesive dressings on the burn; do not burst blisters. Ice does more harm than good.

When it is serious

Seek medical advice for burns that are large or deep, on the face, genitals or buttocks, chemical or electrical, or circumferential round a limb or the chest. Burns to the face or inside the mouth, singed nasal hair and hoarseness suggest airway burns; that casualty can deteriorate quickly.

Special cases

  • Chemical: brush off powders, then irrigate with plenty of water for longer than for a thermal burn. The product's safety data sheet tells you more; see lesson 3.1 on poisoning.
  • Eye splashes: irrigate for a long time with the lid held open, from the inner corner outwards.
  • Electrical: a small entry wound can hide deep damage and a heart rhythm problem. Anyone who has had a significant shock needs TMAS advice.
  • Sunburn: get out of the sun, cool, fluids. Severe or blistering sunburn on a guest after a day of watersports is a burn like any other.

Heat illness

Condition Signs Action
Heat exhaustion Headache, dizziness, sweating, nausea, cramps Cool shaded place, fluids, rest
Heat stroke Confusion, agitation, seizures or unresponsiveness, often hot skin Emergency: active cooling, TMAS

RCUK 2025 treats heat stroke as a cooling race: remove from heat, remove excess clothing, and use whatever is to hand. The best is whole-body cold-water immersion from the neck down; alternatives include ice packs, wet sheets with a fan, or a cold shower. If you cannot measure core temperature, keep cooling for 15 minutes or until neurological symptoms resolve. Cool first, transfer second.

WARNING — Engine rooms and laundries in the tropics Engineers working in hot spaces in the Caribbean season and laundry crew in poorly ventilated spaces are the usual heat casualties aboard. Rotate them and make water available.

TIP — Photographs MGN 623 notes photographs can usefully support a TMAS call. A photo of a burn with a scale reference is worth a paragraph of description.

Cold injuries (frostbite, non-freezing cold injury) are covered with hypothermia in lesson 3.2.

Practice questions

5 questions

recall · core

How long should a burn be cooled under running water according to NHS guidance? (a) 20 minutes (b) 2 minutes (c) 60 minutes (d) 5 minutes

recall · core

How should cling film be applied to a burnt forearm? (a) Only after applying butter (b) Never used (c) Wrapped tightly around the arm (d) Laid over the burn, not wrapped around it

recall · core

Which of these is correct burns care? (a) Remove jewellery near the burn but not anything stuck to the skin (b) Apply oil to seal the skin (c) Apply ice directly (d) Burst blisters to relieve pressure

recall · core

What is RCUK 2025's summary rule for heat stroke? (a) Give salt tablets (b) Wrap in blankets (c) Transfer first, cool later (d) Cool first, transfer second

scenario · core

A sous-chef tips a pan of boiling stock over his foot and lower leg in the galley. What is the best immediate action? (a) Put ice packs on the leg (b) Remove any soaked clothing not stuck to the skin and cool the area under cool running water for 20 minutes (c) Pop the blisters and cover with a plaster (d) Apply the burns gel from the kit and bandage firmly

Independent study. xplor is not an accredited training provider and awards no certificate or Certificate of Competency. The Medical First Aid certificate of proficiency is issued only on completion of an MCA-approved course with practical assessment on manikins and simulated casualties, and nothing here replaces hands-on training. AI-drafted content pending subject-matter-expert review.