Of all the items that should be in a well-stocked kitchen, first aid treatments might be the most important.

Every 25 seconds, someone in the United States is burned or scalded in their home, and once it happens, every second counts.

Scalds are the leading cause of accidental death in the home for children from birth to age 4 and account for 60 percent of the burn injuries for children up to age 14.

And the most likely place for children under 4 to be burned is right in their own kitchen.

"As a former volunteer firefighter and now a pediatrician at the Penn State Children's Hospital, I know that it is essential to quickly and consistently cool the area when a child gets burned," said Daniel Rifkin, MD. "Even simple burns from splashes of hot water or coffee can lead to ongoing injury of the skin if the heat is not removed right away."

Rifkin tells parents to be prepared by keeping a burn treatment product in the kitchen cabinet.

While many parents immediately turn to water when a burn occurs, it has limitations for burn relief and treatment.

As heat is transferred from the wound through evaporation, the surface temperature lowers, but heat emanating from deep within the burn rises to counteract the cooling effect of the evaporating liquid, which then requires new application.

Scarring can occur when burned tissue remains at an uneven temperature, meaning rapid and consistent heat transfer is critical.

The use of home remedies such as butter or creams causes more damage by trapping heat and creating a risk for infection.

Ice should never be applied to a burn because extreme cold can cause additional tissue injury.

Burn treatment ointments may be found at most pharmacies and large department stores.

This story is provided by North American Precis Syndicate Inc.

In a Nutshell

Scalds are the leading cause of accidental death in the home for children from birth to age 4 and account for 60 percent of the burn injuries for children up to age 14.

Scarring can occur when burned tissue remains at an uneven temperature, meaning rapid and consistent heat transfer is critical.