Injured Teen Joins Forces with National Campaign to Stop Gasoline Fires

CASHMERE, Wash., May 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- One Saturday morning when he was 14, Austin Bailiff and a friend poured a little gasoline into a work glove and lit it on fire. In an instant, Austin's life changed forever. Burned over most of his body, he began an odyssey of excruciating pain, lengthy hospital stays, and seemingly endless recovery.

Now 19, Bailiff and his family are working with the National Gasoline Safety Project this summer to help stop gasoline fires and keep other children from suffering the same fate.

Summertime is especially worrisome because families are more likely to be lighting barbecues or campfires, Bailiff said. With Memorial Day approaching, he is helping the National Gasoline Safety Project spread the word that gas and fire never mix.

"When people stare at my skin, I just hope they learn from what happened to me," Bailiff said.

Bailiff's mother, Tammy, will never forget how doctors told her that first night to "prepare for the worst." Tammy spent the next years by Austin's side, reading books, singing, changing bandages, and helping both of them maintain hope.

"I hope that by telling our story we can help other children," Tammy Bailiff said. "If just one other family doesn't have to suffer like this, I'll feel like I've done my job."

Though gasoline burn data is not directly tracked, the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System estimates 1,500 children a year are injured or killed in gasoline fires. Approximately 14,500 Americans die each year from burn injuries and burn-related infections.

The National Gasoline Safety Project aims to stop gas fires through an initiative that includes a website, StopGasFires.org, where parents can view the Bailiffs' story on video and connect with other parents though email, Facebook and twitter.

The initiative has also placed hangtags on portable gasoline containers sold in the United States to remind parents that gas and fire never mix. The hangtags feature Tammy and Austin Bailiff as well others across the country who are working to stop gas fires in their communities.

The National Gasoline Safety Project is sponsored by the Portable Fuel Container Manufacturers Association in partnership with Shriners Hospitals for Children and Safe Kids USA.

SOURCE StopGasFires.org