Good morning and Happy New Year!

Well, we've certainly been living in an ice box lately!

 

Given the recent frigid weather, now's a great time to share some information about hypothermia. Hypothermia occurs when a person's body temperature (normally 98.6 degrees) drops below 95 degrees. When this happens, vital organs are impacted and people may have trouble thinking clearly, talking properly, or moving well. The most insidious thing about hypothermia is that you may not realize it's happening to you before you're too impaired to do anything about it (the confusion caused by hypothermia may prevent you from noticing that anything's wrong, or fixing it if you do).

Anyone spending much time outdoors in cold weather (or even a short amount of time when it's below 32 degrees or there's any wind -- not that we ever get wind around here...) should dress in layers, have a plan to combat hypothermia (and no, a nip or two of something alcoholic is not a good preventative - exactly the opposite, in fact), and have a buddy check up on them regularly to verify they're not showing any of the warning signs of hypothermia (see below).

But you don't actually have to be outside or in extreme cold to be affected by hypothermia. People may suffer from hypothermia even when temperatures are just cool, especially when they get wet (whether from snow, rain, or sweat). It's also possible to fall victim to a form of chronic hypothermia caused by spending extended periods of time in cool (not necessarily cold) environments. So if you're having trouble keeping your house warm in the cold weather, make sure you bundle up to maintain your core body temperature.

Warning signs of hypothermia: 

Early Signs:

Later Signs:

If you experience any of these symptoms or see someone who is, you must take quick action. First, get the person out of the cold environment, remove any wet clothes, and cover them with dry blankets or whatever's available (don't remove wet clothing if you don't have something to cover them with). Up through the third symptom in Early Signs, you may be able to safely rewarm the person using these methods and, if possible, offering them something warm to drink (not alcohol or caffeine). Avoid using heating pads or hot baths - external heat sources can burn numbed skin, and warming a hypothermic person too quickly or jostling them too much can cause an irregular heart beat or even heart failure as extremely cold blood makes its way to the heart.

If you or someone else shows several of the symptoms on the second half of the list of Early Signs or any of the Later Signs of hypothermia, call 911 immediately. They need medical care in a hospital setting to ensure their body temperature is brought back up to normal safely, without causing additional harm.   

 

Finally, from everyone here at Crystal Lakes Volunteer Fire Department:

 

  

Happy New Year!

 

 

Thanks and stay safe!