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HYPOTHERMIA ON INLAND WATERS
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A Fall Overboard can quickly lead to Hypothermia in winter.
On a normal winter the average air temperature drops daily as we go through December, January and February. Along with this more importantly comes a drop in water temperature. Safety management on each vessel should include at this time of the year discussions about Fall Overboard Prevention.
Though it still seems warm out there, the surrounding water temperatures are getting to a point where it is important to get a man overboard victim out of the water fast.
Statistics from the American Waterway Operators shows that 83% of accidental fatalities in the inland industry are caused by Falls Overboard. A component of fall overboard fatalities is Hypothermia. Let's look at the facts.
Water Temperatures: We may have had a mild winter so far, but what are the temperatures of the waters around which we work? Here are water temperatures taken in areas we transit on DEC 21, 2015:
Galveston Bay (Morgan's Point)......58.3°F Mobile Bay (State Docks)...............58.6°F New Orleans, LA (Miss R)................60.1°F Joliet, IL.(Brandon Rd Lock).............43.0°F
How long does it take for Hypothermia to set in when the victim is in the water?
In a normal winter, anywhere north of New Orleans, where the water temperature may be below 40°F, you may have only 15 minutes to get that crew member out of the water before unconsciousness sets in. Is your crew ready to respond to a man overboard situation? Does everyone know their job so action can quickly take place?
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.
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2016 CALENDARS & TOWLINE COMING
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Check your Boat Mail/Crew Change Location
Within the next couple of weeks, all boats should receive their calendar/towline packets. Each packet should have an envelope for each person and one for the boat. If an employee did not receive their packet please email Kelly. If you receive a packet for an employee that is no longer on your vessel please return to the office so that we may get it to that individual.
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Correct Replacement Parts on all Emergency Equipment
While conducting an annual inspection, a Coast Guard inspector picked up a ring buoy's water light and noticed it was heavier than usual. Most off-the-shelf lantern batteries will be the exact same size, but they may have varying weights. It is imperative that only the manufacturer's recommended batteries are used.
This type of water light when immersed automatically rights itself and activates a flashing strobe light capable of operating up to 60 hours using a 6-volt lantern battery. By design, water lights need to float upright for maximum visibility. If there is any ques-
tion that the weight of the battery will have a negative impact on the buoyancy of the water light, test it by placing it in the water. If the battery is too light, the water light may float on its side. If it's too heavy, it will sink.
The distress marker lights attached to the ring buoys used on most Higman vessels use a 6-volt battery with screw type terminals, and weigh no more than 1.49 pounds. The Rayovac battery model 945 shown below is the only known battery that meets these requirements. If a heavier battery is used, the light will sink and negate the light's effectiveness.
All Higman boats should use only the proper replacement parts for all emergency equipment. Also, be sure to check the expiration date printed on the bottom. Imagine the horror of being in an emergency situation in the water, clinging to a ring buoy, while rescuers pass you by unnoticed because the electric water light attached to the ring buoy sunk and is not visible. Hopefully, that scenario will never occur if only proper replacement parts are used.
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SEAMEN'S CHURCH CHRISTMAS AT SEA PROGRAM
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What's in the box?
They arrive in the Peninsula Office each year during Christmas time; brown cardboard boxes, individually addressed to the boats of the Higman fleet. Inside are knit hats and scarves as unique as the recipients who open the boxes. Since 1898, during the Spanish American War, volunteers of the Seamen's Church Institute have knitted, collected, packed, and distributed gifts to mariners who are miles away from home during the holidays. The gift consists of a hand knit garment, a personal letter, and information on SCI's services for mariners. In addition to this, SCI also includes several useful items like hand lotion, lip balm, and toothbrushes-things difficult to come by when working long stretches on the water. The historic name of this volunteer program, Christmas at Sea, only partially describes the work of the people who make holidays a little warmer for mariners. While gift distribution happens during winter months, collection and creation of items happens year round, and while many gifts go to international mariners working "at sea," thousands of gifts also go to mariners working on inland waterways here in the United States. Once again this year, Christmas at Sea gift boxes went to all Higman vessels! If you want to send a special note of thanks to the Seamen's Church folks, click here. Thanks, SCI!!
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Perhaps you are old enough to remember Mom reminding you to always keep a dime handy, in case of emergency, so that you could use the pay-phone to call for help. Even if you are too young to recall the pay-phone era, you know the importance of being prepared for an emergency. You participate in safety meetings and drills on your vessel for just this purpose - emergency response.
But, are you prepared for personal emergencies if you have to get off the boat unexpectedly? What if a close family member is seriously ill and you need to get to the hospital to be with them? The Afloat Personnel Department may work diligently to arrange to get you off the boat, but then what happens if you need to hire a taxi cab to get to the airport to catch a flight? Who is going to pay for that taxi ride? Who is going to pay for the flight? Do you have enough cash, or a credit card, to take care of such an emergency?
It's a good idea to keep at least $100 cash in your wallet in the form of smaller bills, such as five (5) twenty-dollar bills. This comes in handy if you need to pay for a taxi, buy a meal, hire someone to help change a flat, or pay for a toll.
It is also good to have a credit card. Car rentals, hotel reservations, and airline bookings all require a credit card. If you do not feel comfortable with a true credit card there is the option of buying prepaid credit card.
Prepaid credit cards from Visa, Mastercard or American Express, are similar to a debit or gift card, since they are already funded with a set amount. As you use a prepaid card, the amount of each purchase is deducted. If you deposit $300 onto a prepaid card and pay $150 for a car rental, you will have $150 left. Once your prepaid funds are gone, you must deposit more onto your card. Prepaid cards offer some of the same theft and loss protections as a regular credit card. Prepaid credit cards do charge operating fees so be sure to shop around. But, since everything is prepaid, spending is controlled; there are no interest fees, finance charges, or late payments. What you have in your account is all you have to spend.
If you do have to use some emergency cash or credit, remember to replenish what you used as soon as you can. Unfortunately emergencies can come back to back.
We never know what may happen, but we do know, "It's better to be safe, than sorry." First, be careful to consider your budget and spending habits. Then, take time now to prepare to keep some emergency funds with you at all times.
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USCG RULES OF THE ROAD QUESTIONS
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BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND A vessel may exhibit lights other than those prescribed by the Rules as long as the additional lights __________.
a. are not the same color as either side light
b. have a lesser range of visibility than the prescribed lights
c. do not impair the visibility or distinctive character of the prescribed lights
d. All of the above
**(This includes Christmas lights)
BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND A vessel may enter a traffic separation zone __________.
a. in an emergency
b. to engage in fishing within the zone
c. to cross the traffic separation scheme
d. All of the above
BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND The term "restricted visibility", when used in the Rules, refers to __________.
a. situations when you can see vessels on radar that you cannot see visually
b. visibility of less than half a mile
c. any condition where visibility is restricted
d. visibility where you cannot see shore
BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND Which vessel would exhibit sidelights when underway and not making way?
a. A vessel not under command
b. A vessel pushing ahead
c. A vessel engaged in dredging
d. A vessel trawling
BOTH INTERNATIONAL & INLAND If underway in low visibility and sounding fog signals, what changes would you make in the fog signal IMMEDIATELY upon losing the power plant and propulsion?
a. Begin sounding one prolonged blast followed by two short blasts at two-minute intervals.
b. Begin sounding one prolonged blast followed by three short blasts at two-minute intervals.
c. Begin sounding two prolonged blasts at two-minute intervals.
d. No change should be made in the fog signal.
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The Ship's Bell on New Years Eve
On Inland Towboats, the ship's bell perched beneath the pilot house window serves little function other than to cover the requirements of Rule 33 of the Navigation Rules. A nautical tradition though, can serve to give our Towboat bells a one day a year function.
At midnight on New Year's Eve sixteen bells are struck - eight bells for the old year and eight bells for the new. This has evolved over the years from ringing the bell to blowing the ships' whistle.
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New San Jacinto Maritime Center Opens January 2016
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San Jacinto Maritime's Simulator Operation Station
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Rear Admiral William Pickavance gives an introduction
prior to our tour of the new faciltiy
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Nate Mayo and Rodney Dominguez of the Peninsula Warehouse
take turns steering. And, there were no incidents to report!
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| | Gordie Keenan enjoys giving pointers to daughter, Liz, and wife, Ruth |
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Nate Mayo and Sam Marano of the Peninsula Warehouse receive
some helpful tips from San Jacinto Instructor Charlie Mitchell
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Sam, with Nate and his wife, Mayra,
take a moment to smile for a group photo
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Sixth Session
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| January 26
| Seventh Session
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| February 11
| Eighth Session
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| March 1
| Ninth Session
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| April 7
| Tenth Session
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| May 31
| Eleventh Session
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| June 21
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First Session
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| April 20-21
| Second Session
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| May 2-3
| Third Session
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| May 11-12
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Fourth Session
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| November 2-3
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First Session
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| January 18-20 | |
Second Session
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| March 21-23 | |
Third Session
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| TBD | | Fourth Session |
| July 18-20 | | Fifth Session |
| August 15-17 | | Sixth Session |
| September 12-14
| | Seventh Session |
| Oct 31 - Nov 2 |
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Make sure crewmembers have access to the Training Newsletter
- Print a copy of each issue for the crew.
- You may join our mailing list by clicking below:
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Higman CBT Certificates earned year to date: 6,813
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Answer to this weeks Nav Gen: C,D,C,B,A
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Sincerely,
GORDIE KEENAN
KELLY CLEAVER
JANIS ANDERSON
DENNIS ZINK
© 2015 HIGMAN MARINE SERVICES, Inc.
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