Fires and burns are the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths to infants, children, and adolescents ages <1-19 in the U.S.1 Nearly 300 U.S. infants, children, and adolescents die2 and about 80,000 are treated and released from emergency departments (ED) per year for nonfatal, unintentional fire or burn injuries.3 Thermal (from flames or hot surface), scald (from hot liquids or steam), and chemical (caustics) burns are the most common type of burns, accounting for approximately 90% of burns in this population. 4
The Children’s Safety Network has produced this resource guide to provide useful fire and burn prevention resources to help state, jurisdiction, and local health departments and their partners expand and enhance their prevention efforts. This resource guide is divided into five sections: Organizations, Prevention Resources, Legislation, Publications, and Data Sources. The resources included in this guide are not meant to be comprehensive, nor are the listings intended as endorsements.
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) Leading Causes of Death [online]. (2025) [data from 2023] Available from URL: https://wisqars.cdc.gov/.
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) Fatal Injury Reports [online]. (2025) [data from 2021-2023] Available from URL: https://wisqars.cdc.gov/.
3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) Nonfatal Injury Reports [online]. (2025) [data from 2021-2023] Available from URL: https://wisqars.cdc.gov/.
4 Hoffman et al. (2025). Nonfatal Hospital-Treated Pediatric and Adolescent Burn Analysis in the United States: A 2019-2022 National Electronic Injury Surveillance System Analysis. Burns, 107455.