Hypothermia
Brr...so..so..COLD! Hypothermia is when a body’s core temperature drops to the
point where normal muscular and cerebral functions are impaired. You may have
hypothermia without even realizing it! Be on the lookout for symptoms such as
shivering uncontrollably, lost coordination, drowsiness, or a slower breathing or
heart rate. If you find yourself in a situation that is too cold for comfort, here are
some tips to help keep you or someone else alive long enough for help to arrive.
1. Remove any wet clothes. Being wet is the fastest way to the advanced stages
of hypothermia.
2. Build a fire. Good thing you know how if you read above!
3. Consume warm liquids and avoid caffeine and alcohol. If you are in the
wilderness pine needles make some great tea!
4. Wrap yourself in a warm blanket, or sleeping bag when possible. If you
don’t have anything, pine needles, car seat cushions or interior of sofas are
a great way to improvise insolation within the body
5. If you are with someone, get ready to get up close and personal. Hug on to
the person(s) you are with and share each other's body heat!
6. Exercise! Do some jumping backs or push-ups to help bring your body temperature
up but BE CAREFUL! You don’t want to work up a sweat because wet
equals moisture and remember you don’t want to become wet!
Sinking Car
Flash floods can happen out of nowhere. Even if you follow the “Turn Around
Don’t Drown”, you might find yourself in a situation where your car is quickly
sinking. Here are some tips to help get you out of that situation.
1. Don’t panic and quickly try to open the doors to escape. You only have
a couple seconds to do this so try to make those first couple seconds
count.
2. If you were unable to get open the door then quickly roll the window
down. It may sound crazy but the idea is to create an escape route as
quickly as possible before the car fills with water.
3. Break a window. If you don’t have an object on hand that can break a
window, take off the seat headrest and use the metal pieces to break the
side windows. Don’t go for the front window because those windows are
oftentimes tempered not to break.
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