Owensboro (KY) Health Hosts Burn Symposium for First Responders

First responders don’t regularly encounter patients suffering from serious burn injuries.

But when they do, how they treat the injuries can go a long way in determining how well the patient ultimately recovers from the trauma.

That need for training is what led to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital hosting the first Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana Prehospital Burn Symposium on Friday, which drew about 100 first responders from throughout the region.

“We were talking together about wanting to do classes here in Owensboro for continuing education, that we just don’t get enough for pre-hospital providers,” said Dinah Chapman, paramedic instructor/EMS coordinator for the Kentucky Community & Technical College System and state fire rescue. “So our fire departments, our EMS providers, first responders, whether they be volunteer, there’s some things we just don’t get enough education (about), and burns is one of them, especially pediatric burns.

“So when we started talking about this, it kind of snowballed into this big event. We didn’t think it would be this big. But the hospital got on board with us, and we’re really excited about it.”

Mike Mixson, Owensboro Health’s director of trauma services, said while the hospital isn’t a burn center, it welcomed the opportunity to be involved in the event.

“They approached me and asked if this would be something that would be beneficial in this area and would it be something that Owensboro Health Trauma Services would be able to help with, and I said, ‘Absolutely,’ ” he said. “OH is not leading any presentations; we’re helping support and collaborate and facilitate. We rely on the experts.

“We rely on those resources to come in and provide that education. We do have some Owensboro Health employees that are participating in the education.”

The event was a collaboration between OH Trauma Services, Owensboro Community & Technical College, American Medical Response, University of Louisville Health, Acsension St. Vincent, HealthForce Kentucky and the Kentucky Fire Commission.

Physicians and nurses from the pediatric burn center at Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis led the lecture on pediatric burn care, while physicians and nurses from the adult burn center at the University of Louisville — the first and only American Burn Association verified burn center in Kentucky — led the lecture on adult burn care.

“We don’t see (a lot of cases), which is a good thing, but when we do see it, most of the time it’s pretty critical,” said Chapman of why training is needed. “So for us, it’s making sure that we’re doing the things that are the best treatments for the patients, so when they get to where they need to be, especially when we talk about definitive care, especially the burn center, that we’ve not done anything to hinder that care, so that it continues in a positive, instead of us doing something that could have been a negative.”

HealthForce Kentucky also had it’s mobile simulation classroom on site, which allowed first responders to get hands-on training.

“It’s been received great,” Mixson said. “We’ve had some questions on how we can get some more advanced burn care education to specific agencies, and that gives us an opportunity to bridge those resources, introduce our burn expert to that agency.”

Chapman said she hopes the symposium becomes an annual event.

© 2025 the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Ky.). Visit www.messenger-inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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