Falling through the ice, you feel the unforgiving cold rush of water hit your skin even through layers of winter clothes. It stings you like a thousand angry hornets. Your body instinctively hits panic mode. You gasp for breath and suck in the icy broth into your lungs. Without a pfd (personal flotation device) your chances of surviving have now been cut close to nothing unless there is someone very near you to help drag you out. And even then you are still in serious danger. Even with a pfd you have to be able to mentally turn yourself out of the downward panic cycle into survival mode or all you will do is drag out the amount of time it takes you to die.
The question now is what can you do? What if this was you? Would you be able to beat the odds? If this happened to your father, brother, sister, friend would you be able to save their life? There are a few major facts you need to know on how to survive, and a few more about how to save someone else’s.
The first major cause of death in cold water immersion is drowning. So obviously the first step to survival is always and I mean always wear your pfd. In the first 5 minutes your body goes into immediate shock. Your body will instantly do the gasp reflex (the sudden gasp of air as result of the shock, the inability to hold breath, hypertension and increased cardiac output) Many people succumb to drowning or heart attack before hypothermia can even begin to set to in.
If you fail to keep afloat or swim and have little ability to grasp or climb into things such as an overturned vessel or life raft, typically, you will drown due to excessive inhalation of water. Unnecessary swimming increases the rate of body heat loss. Keep your head out of the water. This will increase your survival time. If you’re spending all your strength and body heat by struggling your inner core temperature will drop even quicker. Those with a life preserver will have the chance to conserve heat by being able to stay afloat with a lot less effort.
This is another major reason you need your pfd. We cannot stress enough how important this is. If someone was threatening your life at gunpoint and told you “give me 10 dollars and you live”, would you give them the 10 dollars or take your chances? You’d give them 10 dollars. So why wouldn’t you wear your 10 dollar life vest? How much is your life worth? Your family’s life? Many times more than the cost of a life vest. So wear it and make sure any one you’re with is wearing theirs as well.
So now you’ve survived the drop into the icy cold depths, your life preserver is keeping you afloat, but your still immersed in the debilitating grasp of the frigid water (by the way water doesn’t have to be “ice cold” to cause hypothermia, see our water chart to learn more) The next fifteen to thirty minutes will have a lot to do with whether you make it or not. This is when your core temperature will begin to drop.
98.6° F is considered normal body core temperature. When core temperature drops to 96° F, muscle tone becomes affected. The first thing to go is your small motor skills and your hands will have a hard time functioning. You will start to have a feeling of tension in your back and neck. Once your core temperature hits 95° C, you’re considered mildly hypothermic. (Most immersion experiments with human test subjects are terminated at this point for ethical reasons.) You’re shivering will become persistent or even violent.
If you find yourself reaching this state the best thing to do now is get into the HELP Position.( Heat Escape Lessening Position, or H.E.L.P.) This position helps to protect some of the areas of your body most prone to heat loss - the head, neck, sides of the chest cavity and the groin area. If you are wearing a life jacket, this position can be very effective. To reach this position, you should bring your knees up as close as possible to your chest and grasp your hands together over your chest. If this is too difficult, or too unstable, cross your calves, bend your knees and pull your legs close to your body. Cross your arms and tuck your hands flat under your armpits. Keeping as much of your body heat as you can is your best chance of survival.
At a core temperature of 93.2° F, you’ll start to experience mental confusion, some even have experienced amnesia. Once you become disillusioned and your muscles have weakened (can happen as quickly as 10-20 min) your chance at surviving depends now on someone else being able to rescue you. Another 2° drop down to 91.3° F will lead to a lack of sensation or feeling. At 89.6° F you’re considered profoundly hypothermic and will start to lose the ability to shiver. At 87.98° F, shivering ceases all together. (Shivering is a human’s only method of increasing their internal heat generation, thus once it stops, and core temperature starts falling rapidly.) At 86° F, heart arrhythmias occur. Death follows at 77° F.
Experts seem to have varying opinions on how long a person can stay alive submerged in cold water (with a life jacket, without one the census is that you will most likely drown quite quickly). On average they are saying anywhere from 1-2 hours with some experts saying less and some saying more. This means you have hope of rescue. That gives rescuers time to get to you and time to get you out.
Now that you know the facts, stages and symptoms you can do everything in your power to stay calm, be proactive in your survival and stay alive until help arrives. Being informed and prepared can be the difference in whether or not you make it out alive.
Read our article, ‘Cold Water Rescue Part II’ to learn the right ways to save someone submersed in cold water, dealing with hypothermia and things you may have never known that could cause more harm, than good when aiding in a rescue situation.
The question now is what can you do? What if this was you? Would you be able to beat the odds? If this happened to your father, brother, sister, friend would you be able to save their life? There are a few major facts you need to know on how to survive, and a few more about how to save someone else’s.
The first major cause of death in cold water immersion is drowning. So obviously the first step to survival is always and I mean always wear your pfd. In the first 5 minutes your body goes into immediate shock. Your body will instantly do the gasp reflex (the sudden gasp of air as result of the shock, the inability to hold breath, hypertension and increased cardiac output) Many people succumb to drowning or heart attack before hypothermia can even begin to set to in.
If you fail to keep afloat or swim and have little ability to grasp or climb into things such as an overturned vessel or life raft, typically, you will drown due to excessive inhalation of water. Unnecessary swimming increases the rate of body heat loss. Keep your head out of the water. This will increase your survival time. If you’re spending all your strength and body heat by struggling your inner core temperature will drop even quicker. Those with a life preserver will have the chance to conserve heat by being able to stay afloat with a lot less effort.
This is another major reason you need your pfd. We cannot stress enough how important this is. If someone was threatening your life at gunpoint and told you “give me 10 dollars and you live”, would you give them the 10 dollars or take your chances? You’d give them 10 dollars. So why wouldn’t you wear your 10 dollar life vest? How much is your life worth? Your family’s life? Many times more than the cost of a life vest. So wear it and make sure any one you’re with is wearing theirs as well.
So now you’ve survived the drop into the icy cold depths, your life preserver is keeping you afloat, but your still immersed in the debilitating grasp of the frigid water (by the way water doesn’t have to be “ice cold” to cause hypothermia, see our water chart to learn more) The next fifteen to thirty minutes will have a lot to do with whether you make it or not. This is when your core temperature will begin to drop.
98.6° F is considered normal body core temperature. When core temperature drops to 96° F, muscle tone becomes affected. The first thing to go is your small motor skills and your hands will have a hard time functioning. You will start to have a feeling of tension in your back and neck. Once your core temperature hits 95° C, you’re considered mildly hypothermic. (Most immersion experiments with human test subjects are terminated at this point for ethical reasons.) You’re shivering will become persistent or even violent.
If you find yourself reaching this state the best thing to do now is get into the HELP Position.( Heat Escape Lessening Position, or H.E.L.P.) This position helps to protect some of the areas of your body most prone to heat loss - the head, neck, sides of the chest cavity and the groin area. If you are wearing a life jacket, this position can be very effective. To reach this position, you should bring your knees up as close as possible to your chest and grasp your hands together over your chest. If this is too difficult, or too unstable, cross your calves, bend your knees and pull your legs close to your body. Cross your arms and tuck your hands flat under your armpits. Keeping as much of your body heat as you can is your best chance of survival.
At a core temperature of 93.2° F, you’ll start to experience mental confusion, some even have experienced amnesia. Once you become disillusioned and your muscles have weakened (can happen as quickly as 10-20 min) your chance at surviving depends now on someone else being able to rescue you. Another 2° drop down to 91.3° F will lead to a lack of sensation or feeling. At 89.6° F you’re considered profoundly hypothermic and will start to lose the ability to shiver. At 87.98° F, shivering ceases all together. (Shivering is a human’s only method of increasing their internal heat generation, thus once it stops, and core temperature starts falling rapidly.) At 86° F, heart arrhythmias occur. Death follows at 77° F.
Experts seem to have varying opinions on how long a person can stay alive submerged in cold water (with a life jacket, without one the census is that you will most likely drown quite quickly). On average they are saying anywhere from 1-2 hours with some experts saying less and some saying more. This means you have hope of rescue. That gives rescuers time to get to you and time to get you out.
Now that you know the facts, stages and symptoms you can do everything in your power to stay calm, be proactive in your survival and stay alive until help arrives. Being informed and prepared can be the difference in whether or not you make it out alive.
Read our article, ‘Cold Water Rescue Part II’ to learn the right ways to save someone submersed in cold water, dealing with hypothermia and things you may have never known that could cause more harm, than good when aiding in a rescue situation.
Very timely Gary! We have a LOT of people fishing in boats on the open water near Red Wing MN. I haven't experienced cold water and I sure hope it's on my terms if I ever have to!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to use your "gun to the head" scenario in future conversations about always wearing a PFD. With todays inflatables there is no reason not to!
Hi Gary,
ReplyDeleteIn Nevada County, we had just assisted sierra County in recovering a boat where a recreational fisherman on Stampede Reservoir was rescued after his 12 foot boat was swamped by waves in high wind. The elderly man on the boat was not wearing a PFD but grabbed one as the boat went over. He managed to put it on in the cold 46 degree water. He spent about 30 minutes in the water before another man fishing from the shore saw him drifting in to the shore and summoned help. He was rushed to Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee where he barely recovered. Had there not been help on the shore, he would have died from Hypothermia. I cannot stress to people enough to always wear a PFD when you are in cold water, rough water, or any time your vessel is in trouble. Never wait until you are in the water before putting one on. If you may need one then wear it.
Philip Easley
Grass Valley, Ca.
Actually the article was written by our student Administrator, Toni. She did a great job researching the topic and we invite you to join in our upcoming class she is helping to create on cold water safety.
ReplyDelete