WSC - Cold Water Immersion

Exposure causes loss of body heat. This is called hypothermia. Hypothermia can kill. Defense against hypothermia is to avoid exposure to cold. Do this by staying dry and avoiding the wind. Put on rain gear before you get wet. If you fall into cold water, do NOT discard clothing; it will help trap heat. Avoid moving as much as possible. A life jacket helps in two ways; it reduces the need to move, and it helps insulate against heat loss. When you wear a life jacket, draw knees up into a H.E.L.P. (Heat Escape Lessening Position). If several persons are in the water, huddle together so you can conserve heat and stay alive.

Care involves getting the victim out of the wet clothes. Warm the victim gradually by wrapping him or her in blankets or putting on dry clothing and moving into a warm environment. If the victim is alert, give warm liquids to drink that do not contain alcohol or caffeine. DO NOT warm the victim too quickly, by immersing in warm water, for instance, as this can cause dangerous heart rhythms. Transport the victim to a medical facility.

Hypothermia Chart
If the Water Temp. (F) is.....	Exhaustion or Unconsciousness	Expected Time of Survival is....
32.5	Under 15 Minutes	Under 15-45 Minutes
32.5-40.0	15-30 Minutes	30-90 Minutes
40-50	30-60 Minutes	1-3 Hours
50-60	1-2 Hours	1-6 Hours
60-70	2-7 Hours	2-40 Hours
70-80	3-12 Hours	3- Indefinitely
over 80	Indefinitely

Posters used in the Information Kiosk at the Green Space in the Amusement Park

How much time do you have, if you fall into icy water?

Check out the videos below - presenter Dr. Gordon Giesbrect of the University of Manitoba:

Video # 2 - Snowmobile breaks through the ice at night - click on link Discovery_Night_Swim.mpg

Video # 3 - Snowmobile breaks through ice with overnight survival - click on link Discovery_Night_Survival.mpg

Note: The videos will play best with a high speed connection. If playback is jumpy, place your player on pause to download more of the video before pressing the play button again.