12 November 2008
Prepare for the Cold
Posted by admin under: safety .
I’m not too much of a proud man, but I do suffer from a standard amount of hubris. I pretty much think everyone should be checking all the sites in my blogroll and subscribing if at all possible. Jerry at the Scoutmaster Minute just proves why this is so with his backpacking tip of the week. How could you miss out on that kind of goodness? Click on over to read his full article, but I wanted to reinforce a couple of things he stated.
As we entering the winter months it is always worth revisiting common first aid issues.
So this weeks Backpack tip is about Common signs of Cold weather injuries.
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Symptoms of hypothermia are:
Signs and symptoms include: Shivering, Slurred speech, Abnormally slow breathing, Cold, pale skin, Loss of coordination, Fatigue, lethargy or apathy, Confusion or memory loss.
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Don’t massage or rub the person. Handle people with hypothermia gently, because they’re at risk of cardiac arrest. Monitor breathing, be prepared to administer CPR.
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When exposed to very cold temperatures, skin and underlying tissues may freeze, resulting in frostbite. The areas most likely to be affected by frostbite are your hands, feet, nose and ears.
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Don’t rub the affected area. Never rub snow on frostbitten skin.
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Your experiences camping in the winter can fun and enjoyable.. as long as you are watchful for cold weather injuries. Don’t let the cold scare you off.
Just BE PREPARED!
Have a Great Scouting Day!
Take your wilderness first aid training and then keep taking it periodically because the rules change and memories fade. Until I did that I never knew that trying to rub a hypothermia victim’s arms and legs to warm him up could result in giving him a heart attack because you stimulate the cold blood to circulate into his heart. It’s stuff like this that makes training so valuable and why you should be reading Jerry’s blog for good stuff like his backpacking tip of the week.
- Cold Weather Blogging
- Home Cooked Meal At Camp
- Worth Reading
- GSUSA: Service Unit Coup
- BSA Gives Cold Weather Notes
