Mechanicsville, MD- A viral tweet by the Las Vegas FireRescue has people paying attention. The tweet, posted June 4, 2018, and recently resurfaced shows an infant with scalds.
Here in Las Vegas, a garden hose exposed to direct sunlight during summer can heat the water inside the hose (not flowing) to 130-140 degrees which can cause burns especially to children & animals. Let the water flow a few minutes to cool before spraying on people or animals. pic.twitter.com/FMkzEt27xl
— Las Vegas FireRescue (@LasVegasFD) June 4, 2018
“It’s a file photo, we use it every year to show just how serious a burn can occur to a toddler,” Las Vegas Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Tim Szymanski said. “We got a ton of tweets back from people (saying) ‘I never thought about that,’ and that’s why we do it.”
The photo is actually was shared by a mother living in a different city and wanted to warn others.
Water in a garden hose can reach extreme temperatures. Experts say a hose in prolonged sunlight on a 90+ degree day can reach a minimum of 125 degrees, with the water immediately rushing out being 140-150 degrees. These extreme temperatures can cause severe burning or even death.
While we do not know of any incidents in our area that have resulted in a child; or anyone for the matter being burned, doesn’t mean it can’t happen. We are experiencing a heat wave of multiple days of 90 degrees + weather, and it’s just the beginning of summer. Be aware this could happen to your animals also.
So if you’re going to fill up the kiddie pool, start the sprinkler or even water your garden, point the hose in a direction where no one is and let it run for a bit to remove the hot water.
