Hypothermia and cold-water survival

USCG Boat Crew Seamanship Manual §4-A

Care of survivors — hypothermia and cold-water immersion Hypothermia is the loss of body core heat and is the leading killer of people recovered from the water. It develops far faster in water than in air because water carries heat away many times faster than air of the same temperature; even moderately cool water will chill a person over time. Signs progress from shivering, slurred speech, and clumsiness (mild) to violent shivering that then stops, confusion, stumbling, and drowsiness (moderate), to loss of shivering, rigid muscles, weak or irregular pulse, and unconsciousness (severe). Care of a survivor: get them out of the water and out of the wind, handle them gently, and remove wet clothing and replace it with dry covering, insulating from below as well as above. Rewarm gradually — …

USCG Boat Crew Seamanship Manual §4-B

Care of survivors — near-drowning, shock, and monitoring A near-drowning survivor may look recovered yet deteriorate later, so every person pulled from the water is watched and, where possible, seen by medical help. On recovery, check responsiveness, airway, breathing, and circulation; clear the airway and begin rescue breathing at once if the person is not breathing, and CPR if there is no pulse. Water in the lungs and cold both stress the body, and secondary drowning (fluid building in the lungs hours later) means shortness of breath, coughing, or blueness appearing after rescue is an emergency. Shock is a failure of circulation that can follow immersion, injury, or blood loss, and its signs are pale, cool, clammy skin, rapid weak pulse, rapid shallow breathing, thirst, restlessness, an…

USCG Boat Crew Seamanship Manual §5-A

Lifesaving appliances — PFDs, lifejackets, and immersion suits Personal flotation devices (PFDs) keep a person afloat and, in the better types, turn an unconscious person face-up. Offshore lifejackets have the most buoyancy and are designed to right an unconscious wearer; near-shore buoyant vests and flotation aids have less buoyancy and may not turn a person face-up. A lifejacket is worn correctly only when it is the right size, all straps and closures are fastened, and it is snug so it cannot ride up over the head in the water; it is fitted with a whistle and a light and often retroreflective tape to aid location. Immersion (survival) suits are insulated, watertight coveralls worn over clothing that both keep a person afloat and greatly slow heat loss in cold water, extending survival t…

Boat Crew Seamanship Manual (M16114.5C) Ch. 16 — Water Survival Skills ¶1

Introduction In the event a crewmember enters or ends up in the water due to an emergency, survival procedures should be pre-planned. By doing so, the chances for a successful rescue are increased. This section addresses the survival techniques that will greatly increase the survival for a PIW. Crewmembers should never forget that wearing all required PPE is the best insurance for survival. B.1. Cold Water Survivability The length of time a person can stay alive in cold water depends on the temperature of the water, the physical condition of the survivor, and the action taken by the survivor. Figure 16-14 and Table 16-1 illustrate the relationship between an uninjured victim’s activity, water temperature, and estimated survival time. Swimming typically reduces a person’s chance of survival…

Boat Crew Seamanship Manual (M16114.5C) Ch. 20 — Heavy Weather Piw Recovery ¶18

Index cold, 3-1, 3-5, 3-6, 3-11, 3-12, 3-13, 5-5, 5-6, 5-7, 516, 5-29, 5-33, 5-35, 5-36, 5-37, 5-38, 5-40, 5-44, 6-9, 6-10, 6-12, 6-13, 6-14, 6-15, 6-16, 6-17, 6-19, 6-36, 6-40, 7-3, 8-21, 8-23, 8-24, 8-26, 12-1, 12-5, 12-10, 12-12, 16-1, 16-24, 16-25, 16-26, 17-7, 1716, 20-6, A-13, A-29 crew efficiency, 3-1 crew fatigue, 1-3, 3-1, 3-5, 3-11, 3-14, 4-6, 17-26 crew limitations, 10-52 crew size, 1-2, 8-1, 20-35 cross current, 17-45, 17-49, 17-50 crown knot, 7-42, 7-43, 7-46 cold climate, 3-11 cruiser-type stern, 8-10 cold weather, 3-1, 3-5, 3-6, 3-11, 3-13, 6-9, 6-10, 612, 6-17, 6-19, 8-24, 16-1, 17-7, 17-16 CSP, 15-20, 15-23, 15-27, 15-28, 15-30, B-6 current, 1-1, 1-2, 1-16, 2-9, 2-16, 3-8, 4-6, 4-7, 4-11, 5-10, 5-14, 6-7, 6-38, 10-2, 10-4, 10-5, 10-9, 1011, 10-13, 10-26, 10-28, 10-30, 10-3…

Boat Crew Seamanship Manual (M16114.5C) Ch. 20 — Heavy Weather Piw Recovery ¶20

Index GMDSS, 11-18, B-9fire prevention, 18-1, 18-4, 18-5 going alongside, 10-36, 10-45, 10-47fire tetrahedron, 18-8, 18-9 GPS, 1-16, 10-75, 10-77, 11-23, 13-21, 13-22, 13-23, 14-1, 14-43, 14-97, 14-98, 16-4, 16-7, 16-12, 1758, 17-60, 20-14, A-12, B-9 fire theory, 18-1, 18-7 fire triangle, 18-7 first aid, 1-4, 3-12, 3-15, 3-17, 5-1, 5-2, 5-15, 5-21, 522, 5-31, 5-32, 5-33, 5-40, 5-44, 5-45, 5-47, 6-36, 8-18, 18-30, 18-33 gravity effect, 17-7 great circle, 14-2, 14-3, 14-4, 14-6, 14-9, 14-58, A-17 grid system, 2-6fish bite, 5-33, 5-42, 5-43 ground tackle, 10-69, 10-71, 10-73, 10-80, 10-81fixed-wing aircraft, 19-1, 19-23, 19-25 grounding system, 12-5, 12-7flag hoist, 11-19 flare incidents, 15-6 flashing light, 11-19, 14-46, A-11, A-12, A-26 H flemishing, 7-15, 7-16 half hitch, 7-29, 7-30, 7-31…