Avoid Frostbite and Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a general cooling of the body’s internal temperature. Hypothermia victims go through stages of shivering, numbness, confusion, drowsiness and, eventually, they become unconscious. Unless emergency aid is provided, death soon follows.
- Remove person from cold setting
-Give CPR if needed
-Remove wet clothes
-Wrap the patient in warm materials
-Only if the victim is alert, give warm non-alcoholic drinks

Frostbite is the actual freezing of a body part, most often the fingers, toes, ears or nose. The part often feels hard and waxy and may be discolored.
-Remove person from the cold setting.
- Handle the affected part gently to protect it from further injury.
-Do not rub the frostbitten part.
-Do not allow the victim to try to use the part, such as walking on frostbitten toes.
- Wrap the body part affected in a dry, sterile dressing.

Wear at least three layers of clothing, even indoors. Layering the clothes provides much more protection than one thick garment. The layer closest to the body should be thin and made of polyester or similar material, to pull moisture from your skin. The next layers should be bulkier, providing more insulation. Wool is a good material as are newer materials such as polyester pile. When you’re outdoors, the top layer should resist rain, sleet or snow and have zippers for venting body heat if you become too warm.

-Wear a stocking cap, since some forty percent of body heat escapes through the scalp

-Wear mittens rather than gloves, since mittens keep hands warmer.

-Immediately remove any clothing that gets wet