August 15, 2006
Left: High heat loss areas. Top: Huddle for warmth. Lower left: the HELP Position.
From YKHC's Injury Control/EMS Dept.
The Yukon Kuskokwim Delta is covered with lakes, bending rivers, and winding streams. These bodies of water provide a multitude of resources, but we must always keep in mind the potential dangers of what water can bring upon us.
On a hot sunny day, what will cool us off the fastest? Swimming! Water conducts heat 25 times faster than air of the same temperature. This means water will take away heat faster than air of the same temperature. Fine for a quick refresing dip, but the cold water of Alaska can quickly reduce your body heat to make you hypothermic. Cold water is defined as less than or equal to 91 degrees F. Only hot springs and indoor pools have water that warm in Alaska.
These seven simple rules will help you stay warmer longer and increase your survival time in cold water.
Stay with the boat
- Don't abandon ship until it abandons you. Manufacturers are constructing their boats now to be inherently buoyant. This means, under most circumstances, if they fill with water they will still float.
- Get on top of overturned boat if possible. This will help you stay out of the water and keep dry. Because your boat is a larger target it makes it easier for you to be spotted.
- To swim or not to swim. Swimming cools your core up to 30 percent faster than staying still. Many people become hypothermic and drown while trying to swim to shore. Each scenario is unique with multiple factors. Whether or not to swim to shore is difficult decision.
Stay Afloat
- Wear a personal floatation device (PFD). You must be able to float in order to breathe. A PFD will help in recovery from shock of cold water.
- Trapped air in clothing assists in flotation. Panicky movements remove trapped air in clothing.
- Hold onto anything that floats.
- If overboard in a river, keep your feet up and pointed downstream. This will help prevent entanglement and protect your head from injury. Begin approaching the riverbank at an angle. Let the current help take you to safety.
Stay Dry
- Wear a PFD.
- If there is any warning, immerse slowly, keeping your head dry.
- Get out of the water as soon as possible. Climb on top of the boat or floating debris. It is better to get out of the water, even if it is windy.
- If at all possible, get as many high heat loss areas out of the water as possible.
Stay Still
- Wear a PFD. It is difficult to stay still without one.
- Movement increases circulation to your arms and legs, cooling you off faster and returning cooled blood from the arms and legs more quickly to the core of the body. This results in a more rapidly reduced core temperature.
- Use the Heat Escape Lessening Position (HELP) and huddle position to stay still. These positions cannot be maintained without flotation aids. These positions double survival time compared to swimming or treading water by reducing cooling effects of conduction and convection.
Stay Warm
- Protect your high heat loss areas. Your head, neck, armpits, sides of your stomach, and the groin area are your five high heat loss areas.
- Wear a PFD that provides the most insulation, such as float coats instead of vests.
- Get as much of your body out of the water as possible, especially your high heat loss areas.
- If you cannot get out of the water, assume the HELP or huddle position.
Stay Together
- Share body heat by getting in the huddle position. You help each other. You are a bigger target for rescuers. It is easier to keep morale up. If you are free and safe from entanglement, tie yourselves together.
- Using alcohol and/or drugs increases your chances of ending up in the water. They decrease your coordination and impair your judgment, causing more problems.
- Alcohol is also a vasodilator. It dilates your blood vessels, increasing the surface area of your blood vessel and allowing more heat to escape. This speeds up the onset of hypothermia.
Recognizing a cold water emergency and taking control of the situation greatly increases your chances of survival. Wearing a PFD that provides the most insulation will slow the onset of hypothermia and help keep your head above water so you can breathe. Boating and alcohol don't mix. Avoid being near or on the water if you are going to drink alcohol. Stay warmer longer and increase your survival time in cold water by practicing and following the Stay Rules.