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Snow Safety - Frostbite Training Video
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Snow Safety - Frostbite Training Summary:
As a person begins to have more extreme signs and symptoms of having a cold-related emergency, he may be experiencing frostbite. A person can lose limbs; parts of fingers, toes, nose, and ears; or have irreparable skin damage. There are some practical ways to prevent frostbite from occurring, but sometimes it can happen before you realize it. Pain and tingling are the first signs of freezing tissues. Getting to a warm place is the ideal action. You should always make sure your skin is covered with a scarf or face gear to make sure skin is not exposed. Once your skin becomes numb and is white and feels frozen, you are experiencing frostbite and need immediate treatment.
Only re-warm body parts once you get to a permanent location where you are out of the elements. Once in a warm environment, heat water to 100 - 105 degrees Fahrenheit, be careful not to bump tissues into container sides, and submerge the body parts in the water. This can be extremely painful. This will get circulation back to the frozen body tissues. Once the skin is re-warmed, be careful not to break blisters. Put sterile gauze in between fingers and toes and gently wrap the frozen body parts with sterile gauze and bring the person to get emergency medical help.
Do not rub the body part or frozen tissues. This can cause serious tissue damage and other problems. Also do not warm the body tissues by placing them against your warm body parts, as this can cause you to go into hypothermia. The goal is to get the person to a warm place to save his life and then get him emergency medical help to save tissues / limbs if possible.
Plan for the worst when in the elements. You can buy 7-hour or 12-hour chemical warmers to put in boots, gloves, or pockets. Also, if you happen to come across a person in need of help, these warmers can help that person warm up.
