Can you pour cold water onto a burn?

In the photo, next to a first aid kit, there are a bottle of still water, salicylic spirit and hydrogen peroxide. You may pour cold water onto a burn - it is the basic and most effective method of first aid for a burn; spirit and hydrogen peroxide are not used for this. The answer is: yes.

The State Emergency Medical Services Act obliges anyone who notices a person in a sudden medical emergency to call for help, and the Criminal Code provides for a penalty for failing to give it; with burns after an accident, for example from hot fluids from the radiator or from a fire, the first action is cooling. Cool, clean water at tap temperature poured for at least 15-20 minutes stops the heat from going deeper into the skin and reduces pain and swelling. You do not use ice or ice-cold water, because they damage the tissues even more, you do not put ointments, grease or spirit on the burn, you do not pierce blisters and you do not tear off clothing that has stuck to it. After cooling, you cover the wound with a sterile dressing or clean cling film and take off any jewellery before swelling appears.

Legal basis: Art. 4 of the State Emergency Medical Services Act; Art. 162 of the Criminal Code