Hypothermia

A Fall Overboard can quickly lead to Hypothermia in winter.

The worst happens; you find yourself falling in.  How can you increase your survival chances?

• if possible, cover your face with your hands.  Being quickly immersed in icy water can cause "Torso Reflex," or a sudden involuntary intake of breath. Covering your mouth is an attempt to avoid gulping water into your lungs when this happens.
• Get yourself as far as possible out of the water; use not only your work vest buoyancy, but anything else that floats to pull yourself up.  The idea is to get as much of your body out of the water as possible, so there is less area that can lose heat.
• Conserve heat as much as possible.  Try to keep water from flowing through your garments by tightening where possible.  Do not kick off your boots; they are helping you conserve heat.  Keep your legs, arms wrapped and close to your torso.
• Do not swim unless you are close to a boat or something to climb up on to get out of the water.  Swimming pumps out the warm water trapped between your skin and your clothes and brings in colder water. Swimming can reduce your survival time by almost 50%.
• Stay as still as possible, no matter how painful. Intense shivering and severe pain in cold water are natural reflexes that will not kill you, but cold water can.  Get into the H.E.L.P (Heat Escape Lessening Position) shown here....

What actions do you take after rescuing a possible hypothermia victim?

Any victim pulled from cold water should be treated for hypothermia. Symptoms may include intense shivering, loss of coordination, mental confusion, cold and blue (cyanotic) skin, weak pulse, irregular heartbeat, and enlarged pupils. Once shivering stops, core body temperature begins to drop critically. Try to prevent body cooling and get medical help immediately. 

• Gently move the victim inside the boat.
• Check for breathing and a heartbeat. Start CPR if necessary.
• Remove the victim's wet clothes. Use a minimum of body movement, since rough handling can cause cardiac arrest. Cut the clothes off, if necessary.
• Lay the victim in a level face-up position with a blanket or some other insulation underneath.
• Wrap the victim in a dry blanket or dry clothes. If possible, warm the clothes first. If a stocking cap is available, put it on the victim's head since a great deal of heat is lost from the head.
• If the person is awake and coherent, give them warm (not hot) liquids. Warm hot tea with sugar or honey or slightly-cooled hot chocolate are good since sugars can still be absorbed even if the stomach has shut down.
• Never give a hypothermic person alcohol. Alcohol dilates (opens) your veins, which will make you lose body heat more rapidly.

If your boat is in a remote area and medical help is not quickly available:

• Apply heating pads or hot water bottles under the blanket to the head, neck, chest, and groin. Be careful not to burn the victim's skin.
• If these are unavailable, use your own body warmth to warm the victim. Wrap yourself in a blanket together and use as much body to body contact as possible.
• Do not apply heat to the arms and legs. This forces cold blood from the arms and legs back toward the heart, lungs and brain, lowering core body temperature and causing "after drop" which can be fatal.
• Do not massage the victim or give the victim a hot bath. Cardiac arrest is a frequent result of hypothermia, and moving the victim roughly can be a catalyst for this condition.  
• Do not give food or drink to unconscious victims.

Follow Higman incident procedures as required. Continue to get medical help.

The above information with more detail can be found at the BoatU.S. Emergency Preparedness website.

Check Your TWIC

Have you checked your TWIC expiration date lately? 

All TWIC cards have an expiration date.  Do you know what yours is?

Most TWIC cards were issued with an expiration date five years from the original issue. 

Some TWIC cards though were issued with the same expiration date as your USCG MMD or license instead of five years from issue.  Don't get caught short; allow at least 3 months to renew.

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Answer to this weeks NAV Questions....A, D, B, A, C