[Paddlewise] Life Jackets Saves Lives in Cold Water Too

Dear Rande Wilson,

Unfortunately, I was not surprised to receive this:

"WASHINGTON- The best way to survive an accidental cold water immersion is
to wear a life jacket. "

While the best way to remain afloat is probably to wear a life ja.... er....
PF...... oops... "life jacket" it's clearly - CLEARLY - not the best way to
avoid hypothermia if you become immersed in cold water. Your press release
has not one single word to indicate that protective clothing is recommended.

Those of us who have survived years of playing about in small boats are
aghast at the complete refusal of the US Government (and the USCG and,
apparently, the USCG auxiliary) to recognize that wearing some sort of
protective clothing is the best way to protect a person from dying in cold
water. Even a $39.95 shorty wetsuit would help. But all you guys can say is
wear a PF.... oh, crap... a lifejacket. Wearing a PFD (it's shorter) *is*
important.... with emphasis on wearing it and not just having one somewhere
in the boat. But don't you think that adding a line about protective
clothing might be helpful?  Can we get a start on this?

How about, "The best way to stay afloat in cold water is to wear a life
jacket.... but you'll probably still die from the cold water unless you at
least wear a shorty wetsuit under your cotton tee shirt and jeans."


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA

PS: Send someone to join the email list at www.paddlewise.com where there
are some interesting discussions about this.

CJ



---------- Forwarded message ----------


Subject: Life Jackets Saves Lives in Cold Water Too





U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Public Affairs

clip_image001



Date: February 7, 2011

Contact: Rande Wilson

Public Affairs

Phone: 860-881-0570

Email: rjwilson_at_snet.net

http://auxpa.org





News Release





Life Jackets Saves Lives in Cold Water Too





WASHINGTON- The best way to survive an accidental cold water immersion is to
wear a life jacket.  It will help keep the head above water in the event of
an accidental immersion.  It will also keep the victim afloat.  If unable to
rescue themselves, a life jacket can provide some thermal protection against
the onset of hypothermia, and keep the swimmer afloat until help arrives.



Swimming ability in warm water has little relationship to the ability to
swim in cold water.  Mario Vittone, a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer
states "It is impossible to die from hypothermia in cold water unless you
are wearing an approved flotation device, because without flotation - you
won't live long enough to become hypothermic, you will most assuredly
drown."



When the temperature of water is below 50 F significant physiological
responses occur, including the possibility of death,  The causes of death
may include cardiac arrest, deep body (core) cooling resulting in
unconsciousness, and circulatory collapse, all of which could end in
drowning. The effects of cold water immersion are predictable and well
documented by what is known as the 1-10-1 Principle:



-  1 minute:  Upon immersion in cold water, the body reacts with an
involuntary gasp, followed by hyperventilation of up to 10 times regular
breathing (if head is underwater during that initial deep gasp, a person can
inhale enough water to drown).  Avoid panicking--  breathing will return to
close to normal.



- 10 minutes:  A person immersed in cold water will become incapacitated as
limb muscles stop working and prevent swimming or self-rescue, so swimmer
should attempt to rescue themselves, before incapacitation becomes a factor.
If this is not possible, try to get as much of the body out of the water as
possible to delay the onset of hypothermia.



- 1 hour: After about 60 minutes (depending on the water temperature), the
body continues to cool. The resulting hypothermia can create a range of
symptoms from confusion to unconsciousness, eventually leading to death.



When rescuing a cold water victim beware of post rescue collapse (up to
several hours after) by assisting the victim to become dry and warm.  Keep
him or her still until medical treatment arrives.



The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer Component
of the United States Coast Guard created by an Act of Congress in 1939. The
Auxiliary, America's Volunteer Guardians, supports the Coast Guard in nearly
all of the service's missions.



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