Ice Fishing Safety

Hypothermia and Frostbite

Frostbite is localized freezing of tissue. The extremities (nose, ears, fingers, and toes) are most susceptible. In the early stages of frostbite, the skin around the affected area will look flushed and you will feel burning, itching, tingling, or numbness in the area. A frostbitten area will turn whitish to yellowish and appear waxy as ice crystals form under the skin. Do not rub a frostbitten area to warm it. The ice crystals in the tissue can cause further damage, if rubbed or moved around. Do not warm the area by a fire. The area will be numb and you may not realize you’re being burned. The best way to slowly warm a frostbitten area is to place it near warm skin. For cold hands, the armpits or abdomen are usually the warmest areas where they can be placed. A warm hand works best for ears and nose. Once frostbitten, that area will be more susceptible to refreezing.

Hypothermia is the actual lowering of the body’s temperature – the body loses heat faster than it can be generated – and can be very serious. Extremely cold temperatures are not necessary to induce hypothermia. Dampness and wind, with mild temperatures (40 to 50 °F) can bring it on. Shivering is the first sign of hypothermia. As it progresses, the victim may develop coordination problems, blurred vision, nausea, and slurred speech and may lose the ability to think clearly, to reason, or to remember. Get a hypothermia victim dry and warm as fast as possible. A warm shelter out of the wind and warm, dry, insulated clothes and covers are a first step. Give him hot liquids (Cocoa or tea - not alcohol, which causes dilation of the blood vessels and further cooling). If the person is unconscious, shivering uncontrollably, drowsy, or having difficulty breathing, keep her as warm as possible and get immediate medical attention.

“Cold Hand Luke” Demonstration

Cold water can cause you to lose feeling in your limbs, interfere with your ability to move or think, and even cause death in some cases. This is a demonstration of some of the effects of cold water, even over a short period of time. Water conducts heat away from the body twenty-five times faster than air and a victim could die in as few as 60 minutes in water colder than 40°F. In 50°F water, you have a 50-50 chance of swimming beyond 50 minutes without a protective PFD. To emphasize this, fill a five-gallon bucket with ice water. Put some change in the bottom (pennies work fine) and invite volunteers to get the change back out. They can keep all the change they pick up, if they can keep their hand in the water for three minutes. If they can’t keep their hand in the water for three minutes, they can’t keep the change. Point out the decreased dexterity, white skin, lack of sensitivity, and weak pulse of the exposed limb caused by only a few minutes in cold water.

Caution: You may want to use an adult volunteer if you are working with younger students.