I am actually on the side of the hospital on this one.
For burns like that you get in the car and go.
I am not sure why they had come to expect someone else to come and get them- except thtat this is what socialized medicine gets you.
Whenever you need a band-aid you expect a doctor and 3 nurses to come rushing to your aid, which uses up the resources until rationing takes place.
I am illustrating a point, not complaining that this boy deservedit or anything (we have way too many knee-jerkers here lately)
Can’t burns cause shock? Burns are also more critical to children. The body can shut down.
For burns like that you get in the car and go.
Yes. I also wonder why a 1 year old was allowed anywhere near a "hot cup of tea."
Sad story.
Many assumptions here: did they have a working automobile if so did they have someone able to drive? etc.
Probably not airway issues with a scald with one cup of tea. Probably not full thickness burns either, or circumferential. Probably not abuse. But the dispatcher couldn’t tell over the phone. You also can’t depend on parents to treat burns and pain correctly en route and facial scarring is not what you want to mess with. Not to mention the difficulty driving when your own child is shrieking with pain. Maybe the family had no car.
Now me, I would I would have run water over the burns for ten minutes, packed up the kid with cool wet dressings, and driven him myself, but we’ve also done family transport for all broken bones, chest pain and head trauma (which is maybe not so smart.)
As an EMT I would have no problem transporting child and family - highly appropriate 911 call.