BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Do you or someone you know have a home oxygen tank? During Burn Awareness Week, 23ABC News is looking into the safety of these systems.
To make fire, three things are needed: oxygen, fuel, and heat. According to Allen Kennedy, owner of Quality Team Homecare, those who are on oxygen already have two things on that list, including the tank and the tube that helps them breathe.
But what happens when someone on oxygen gets too close to a stovetop?
“The cannula that the patient uses here that they put on their face can act easily as a fuel even though this [the cannula] will not burn by itself. Once we put oxygen through it [the cannula], it will burn," explained Kennedy. "Most of the home fires are caused by patients that are smoking. Some 73 percent are attributed to smoking."
Other common causes include lighting a match or candle, using incense, or using a stovetop or an oven.
Safety tips for those on oxygen include staying far away from an open flame, regularly checking smoke alarms, and keeping smokers out of the home.
