[Paddlewise] Safety and "Canoe & Kayak" Magazine (add hypothermia)

Rick Sylvia said:

<<I saw something at lunch today that I had to chuckle over, so just for
fun,
:-)   I thought I'd stir up the almost dead PFD saga >>

I don't want to stir up any trouble with the PFD debate, especially in
my Codeine induced brain-deadness this week, but I would like to say
that any water sports person who doesn't wear a PFD the majority of
times out on the water is a bloody idiot - and that's coming from
someone who is accused of also being one (for other reasons).

I see unsafe actions portrayed in woodworking magazines all the time,
including advertisements. I see numerous letters to the editor actually
printed, but I've never seen one (and I assume they do get written)
taking the editors to task for the unsafe practices portrayed in the
adverts. Definitely a double standard. A friend of mine has written to
C&K Magazine over a number of theses types of safety issues, but has
never been published in the letter to the editor column (though he did
get a reply back once).

Well, as I'm suffering a bout of AIDS right now (Acquired Intelligence
Deficiency Syndrome) I'll cease and desist post haste from stirring the
waters. However, I would like to add some useful information to PW, as
I've not contributed much lately other than off-topic dribble (which I
see a lot of from others too, on this list over the past year).

We had a Canadian Safe Boating Symposium in March here in BC, and some
of the information shared was very interesting regarding PFD's. Most
PW'ers know all this stuff, but some newbies might benefit. The keynote
speaker, Dr Micheal Tipton, found that even individuals wearing "life
jackets" and immersion suites were at high risk of drowning in cold
water, if adrift in a rough, confused sea state with multiple wave
patterns. Apparently, a video was shown of waves washing over the head
of an individual so dressed, and it was noted that only 150 ml of water
would be sufficient to drown the victim. There is now more research
being done with respect to equipping a splash guard that integrates with
the lifejacket to protect the face. It makes me wonder how well one
would fair with no PFD.

While I was on my summer holiday with my family, I stopped in at the
Courtney-Comox Coroner's Office to compare notes where upon we continued
to help each other finish up our respective reports on the kayaker who
died last spring kite sailing across Georgia Strait (he, his coroner's
report/recomendations; and me, a Sea Kayaker article). We talked a fair
bit about hypothermia and PFD use. He was late with his appointment with
me, as he was just returning from investigating a death of a fisherman
whose boat plowed under a wave while reversing. Two guys went in the
water, and the one without the PFD died. He said it was a clear-cut
case, and added it to his thick file of boaters who die with no PFD on.

As an aside, it was interesting to note that the coroner also does
critical incident debriefing and runs a men's group for rescue personnel
suffering Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He was very interested in the
Storm Island story, in particular the aftermath with Dave and Dave's
belligerence at having the story published and what the trigger points
were/are. It gave me some insight and understanding that I did not have
prior to the informative meeting with him. Cold incidents of a long
duration figured prominently in his highlights. I find this stuff more
interesting and relevant than long posts about sharks and kayaking, but
that's just me :-)

As far as other interesting information from the Safe Boating Symposium,
here are a few highlights:

- Rescuers are being trained to keep hypothermia victims horizontal when
lifting them out of the water.
- The "gasp reflex" has been studied in much more detail, and it would
appear one's breath cannot be held for more than 5 seconds in 10 degree
C water -- for the average victim with minimal thermal protection.
- Most drowning deaths occur within 2 to 3 meters of safe refuge.
- Grip strength tests show a marked loss such that the plastic wrap of a
simple rescue device could not be opened, and if it was, not deployed.
- If muscle temperature is below 27 degrees C,  skin becomes
anesthetized and nerve  impulses to said muscles are so impaired that
functionality is lost.
- Swimming, of course, increases convective cooling, but if you must
swim for some reason, use the legs only as less blood from the legs
moves to the core than from the arms.
- Forget the space blanket if you are shivering above water after a
wet-cold incident. A large plastic bag works much better, as most of the
cooling is via convection and evaporation, rather than via radiation of
heat from the body.
- Those at greater risk are individuals with a low percentage of body
fat, have consumed alcohol or drugs,  and have been through some trauma
or are fatigued.

Add lack of a PFD and those influenced by poor role modeling within
national outdoors magazines, if you like!

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd (who keeps thinking of unsubsribing from the list, but can't
seem to do it)



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