HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

Just how cold must water be to be considered "cold?" According to authorities at the American Red Cross, water at or below 70 degrees Fahrenheit fits the bill. Generally speaking, says the Red Cross, "if water feels cold, it is cold." Areas in the continental United States located above the 32nd parallel have been designated as the Cold Water Region. As you can see from the map, most states fall into this region.

All of the states in the Cold Water Region contain parks, forests, preserves that feature abundant water resources (lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, springs, and oceans). The people of this region enjoy a variety of outdoor and water-related activities: hunting, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling, sledding, snowboarding, skating, hiking, and boating. Many participants are aware of the dangers associated with land activities but may not be so familiar with dangers associated with water, particularly immersion hypothermia.

Hypothermia is defined by the Red Cross as "a life-threatening condition in which the body's warming mechanisms cannot maintain normal body temperature and the entire body cools." A person can experience hypothermia as a result of exposure to a cold environment. This exposure generally results from lack of experience in cold climates: not dressing, eating, or resting properly; loss of direction; sudden or unexpected changes in the weather; or overestimating one's understanding and ability.

Immersion in cold water magnifies the onset and gravity of hypothermia. Body temperature drops more quickly, breathing is more restricted, shivering and loss of muscle coordination are more pronounced, and progression to a semiconscious or completely unconscious state is significantly increased. If this heat-loss progression cannot be slowed or stopped and a homeostatic state reachieved, the end result will be death.

Before discussing a cold-water education program, it might be helpful to review some basic principles associated with body-heat loss. There are five basic principles that regulate the way the body releases heat.

The areas of the body that are most susceptible to heat loss are the head (which accounts for 50 percent of the heat loss), neck, underarm, sides of chest, and groin. A person's age and body size are also factors to consider. The very young and old may not have fully developed or fully functioning heat-regulatory systems. Small people tend to cool faster than large people. Additionally, the mental state of an individual can greatly influence the probability of survival from a cold-water immersion incident. The following are some progressive identifiable symptoms of immersion hypothermia.

There are some very specific strategies that will slow, stop, or eliminate the heat loss and the resulting downward spiral of physiological responses associated with immersion hypothermia.

The aquatic professionals of the Nikiski Pool in Nikiski, Alaska, developed a middle school cold-water education program called Skills for Life. The serious consequences of immersion hypothermia are a reality of everyday life in this community on the Kenai Peninsula. The program was developed through a collaborative effort involving the Nikiski Pool staff, the McMillan Offshore Survival Training Program, and the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association's certification program. The Skills for Life program is designed to have small groups rotate through four stations where core elements are presented.

Skills for Life is made up of four core elements:

* Provide general information concerning immersion hypothermia and the need to be prepared through lecture, videos, and written information or handouts.

* Demonstration and practice of skill used for entering water from heights, protection from heat loss while in the water, moving through the water, and assisting others in the water who need help. This includes rescue breathing.

* Provide students with an opportunity to use specialized protective clothing and emergency equipment and practice boarding a rescue raft.

* Practice rescue techniques for ice, open water, and swift-moving water.

The students spend approximately 40 minutes at each station for instruction, practice, and review of the information or experiences. Students have consistently reported feeling challenged, surprised, and even shocked by the amount of effort and knowledge that was required to perform such skills as boarding a rescue raft and swimming while wearing protective clothing. Students quickly realized that it would take concentration, concerted effort, team work, and a positive mental attitude to master the techniques presented. This ongoing program has, for the past eight years, successfully taught cold-water skills related to immersion hypothermia to hundreds of middle school children. Additionally, the Skills for Life program has been presented to Boy and Girl Scout organizations, kayak and canoe clubs, Alaska Fish and Game officials, local commercial fishermen, and to delegates at the 1996 NRPA National Aquatic Conference.

* Radiation -- Body gives off heat, attempting to warm the areas immediately surrounding it.

* Respiration-- Body heats the cold air as it enters your system.

* Evaporation-- Body sheds heat as it sweats.

* Convection-- Heat loss due to the movement of air or water around the body.

* Conduction-- Heat is passed through a material that has lost its insulating value or properties.

* Feeling of cold/shivering

* Uncontrollable shivering

* A loss of muscle coordination

* Slurred speech

* Very cold, with no apparent shivering

* A semiconscious state

* Unconsciousness

* Loss of vital signs (pulse and respiration)

* Select clothing that will trap body heat

* An insulating layer will hold air and prevent it from being moved or cooled by the environment

* The better the insulating qualities, the better your chances of survival

* Wool and polypropylene are the best materials to use for insulation

* Hats will help reduce heat loss from the highest net loss area of the body

* Increase the intake of food and warm drinks before heat loss becomes a problem

* Avoid overheating when possible

* Alcohol should never be given to individuals suffering from any type of hypothermia

* Provide shelter from wind, wet, and cold

* Always protect the main heat-loss areas of the body

References

Alaska Boating Magazine, AA Cold-Blooded Killer, Virginia Baker Megeheim, 9-11 (Vol. 2, Issue 1).

Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, Marine Safety Instructor Training Manual, Edited by Jerry Dzugan & Susan Clark Jensen, Fifth Edition, 1992.

American Red Cross - Swimming & Diving, Moseby Year Book, 38-41, 1992.

Johnson, Michael, July 24, 1997. Nikiski, Alaska.

Marine Safety Update, (Vol 12: No. 4 (winter 1996-97), 3-4.

McMillan Offshore Survival Technology, Offshore Survival. Margaret McMillan Inc., 1989.

McMillan Offshore Survival Technology, (text) by John McMillan, 1997-98, 3, 4, 15-18, 51-56, 62-67, 69-70.

Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology Survival Center, Cold Water Survival, (prepared by Dr. IM Light B.S./Ph.D.), 1989.

We've all found ourselves in "hot water" before, but what about cold water -- really, really cold water? Karen Kester, who has served as the recreation director in Nikiski, Alaska, for the past 14 years, is well aware of the dangers of overexposure to extremely cold water. "Immersion in cold water magnifies the onset and gravity of hypothermia," says Kester. "Being prepared and knowledgeable can help slow, stop, or eliminate the heat loss and the resulting downward spiral of physiological responses associated with immersion hypothermia" (p. 48).