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OverviewHypothermia & Frostbite Prevention
This one will be fairly long -- we hammered it regularly at St. John's School. So I've got to find my files and adapt.
Meanwhile: Mountaineering Medicine, a book at your local library, and the pamphlet from the Mazama society on hypothermia will give you a good start.
This section covers what you need to do when you discover that your prevention didn't work. This course must be mastered by Captains and Leaders.
- Review prevention. Point out when preventive measures usually fail.
- Review initial hypothermia symptoms
- Introduce symptoms of moderate and severe hypothermia. Point out that treating severe hypothermia on a hike is nearly impossible.
Responses.
- Change the environment. Get out of the wind, change wet clothing.
- Add insulation. Stop additional heat loss.
- Help generate heat. Food and warm liquids. Keep victim moving.
- Monitor
- Accidents -- Situations where things get out of control quickly.
- If you can't move, build a fire.
Secondary casualties -- concentrate on one victim -- have two victims ten minutes later.
Things that can present as hypothermia:
- Dehydration
- Hypoglycemia .