Hypothermia SMACKDOWN for kayakers

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Hypothermia SMACKDOWN for kayakers

• Only the coolest paddlers know how to stay warm
  dry.
• This is your chance to shine
• By Krista Harvell

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Hypothermia SMACKDOWN for Kayakers..

• Choose your SMACKDOWN Team Captain
• Choose your SMACKDOWN Team name
• Team captain records your best answer for Judges
• You have 3-5 minutes to formulate your BEST
  SMACKDOWN
• Work fast, keep warm, stay friendlydont forget
  your judges can be influenced
• The panel of Judges determine which team wins a
  point for each topic ( 5 questions with one bonus
  topic) for the Most correct answer provided.

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Hypothermia SMACKDOWN topics

• Your out of your kayak, swimming in cold water,
  your paddling buddies are out of sight, now what?
• Plan ahead complete the hypothermia table
• Signs symptoms of hypothermia
• Rescue scenario number 1
• Rescue scenario number 2
• Bonus-Tie breaker topic

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smackdown Topic Number 1

• It is a sunny April day on Lake Tahoe. Despite
  some melting snow on the shore you and your
  paddling budding decide to beat the power boats
  crowds on Emerald Bay and drive up for a day
  paddle. Your high performance composite 17 ft
  boat is in the shop (getting a Bob keel strip).
  
• You take your first and beloved boat. A 12 ft
  plastic Pungo and quickly fall behind your speed
  demon composite high performance paddling
  buddies. They have entered Emerald Bay heading
  for a lunch spot at Vikingsholm. They are not
  worried how far behind you are as you have a
  history of wondering off on your own. And
  besides, youre a strong peddler. You now are
  300 yards off Pope Beach. The wind picks up and
  sudden white caps form on the water. You reach
  behind your seat to grab a water bottle and a
  power boat wake knocks you over. Your multiple
  attempts to get back in your boat fail. Thank God
  you kept your PFD on!
• List your next steps with rationale for survival
  in this chilly water.

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Answers that Judges care about.

• Stay with your boat-you will be more visible to
  potential rescuers
• Dont try to swim to shore. Physical activity
  like swimming and struggling in the water
  increases heat loss. Survival time can be reduced
  to minutes. Strong swimmers have died before
  swimming 100 ft.
• If you have a hat or padding jacket in the boat
  put it on. 50 heat loss occurs thru the head.
  Cold water removes heat from the body 25 times
  faster than cold air.
• Use HELP strategy (see below). Stay as still as
  possible. Fold arms, cross legs and float quietly
  on the bouncy of your PFD until help arrives
• Heat Escape Lessening Posture
• If you have a marine radio, call for help!

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Hypothermia SMACKDOWNTopic Number 2

• List the signs symptoms of hypothermia from
  mild, moderate to severe
• The most extensive list wins

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Answers your judges will care about..

• Mild Hypothermia/ Core Temp-98.6-96 degrees
• Shivering (not involuntary) , excessive yawning,
  numb hands, goose bumps, cannot perform complex
  difficult motor functions (rolling, advanced
  bracing, turning your boat in strong wind when
  you are a skilled strong paddler)
• Skin look more pale/less blood flow to surface
  area
• Moderate Hypothermia/ Core Temp 95-93 degrees
• Dazed, the umbles get worse-stumbles, fumbles,
  mumbles, grumbles, loss of coordination hands,
  cant zip paddle jacket or attach spray shirt,
  slurred speech, violent shivering, irrational
  behavior, combative
• Severe Hypothermia/Core Temp 95-93 degrees
  below/life threatening
• Shivering occurs in waves until finally stops (no
  heat output anymore). Body starts shutting down,
  cannot walk, curls up in fetal position ,to
  conserve heat, muscles rigid (no blood flow,
  lactic acid build up). Skin pale, pupils dilated,
  faint slow pulse, breathing can be erratic.
• At 90 degrees body goes into hibernation,
  shutting down blow flow, reducing breathing and
  heart rate
• At 86 degrees body is in Metabolic Ice Box
  state. Person looks dead but is alive!

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SMACKDOWN Topic Number 3

• Complete the blanks on your water temperature
  Hypothermia Table
• Your Team captain will select the envelope for
  your team and start crackingyou got less than
  five minutes before the judges take a whack at
  your answers if you crammed it will really pay
  off now for your team mates!

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SMACKDOWN TopicRescue Scenario Number 1

• You are paddling with your buddies on that sunny
  April Tahoe day trip to Emerald bay. You arrive
  to the Vikingholm beach for lunch but feel uneasy
  knowing you have not seen your Pungo buddy for
  20 minutes or so. You notice the wind picked up
  and white caps have formed. Your other buddies on
  the beach get their lunch bags from their boats,
  crack open a bottle of vino and set up their
  kayak camp chairs. Despite your buddies
  encouragement to stay on the beach and share the
  vino you do the right thing and saddle back up
  with your marine radio and tow rope and head out
  to find the slow paddler.
• When you reach your pal, you discover him
  floating quietly next to his boat, what do you
  now?

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Answers the judges care about

• Assess your buddys level of hypothermia
• Call others for help on your marine radio
  depending on who you need . If moderate
  hypothermia call 911 for assistance as he can
  worsen quickly. If he is suffering only mild
  hypothermia, then call your buddies at
  Vickingholm for back up (so you dont become a
  victim if you capsize during your rescue
  attempt), towing assistance, rafting up options.
  Get him as quickly as possible back in his boat.
  Pump out enough water to make his boat stable for
  towing to shore. If you cannot pump the boat, do
  a bull dozer maneuver shoving his boat with
  your to shore.
• Once on shore, start warming your buddy. Get him
  dry warm, layers of clothing in a warm shelter
  away from wind. Give hot, sweet liquids
  (hydration, calories plus heat source), GORP
  (sugar, proteins and fat source that will stay
  with him longer).
• Dont offer him a smoke, cup of Joe or left over
  vino (sources of dehydration, increases
  surface-skin heat loss)

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SMACKDOWN Topic Rescue Scenario Number 2

• You find a swamped fishing aluminum boat when
  paddling back from Emerald Bay headed towards
  your take-out at Richardson Resort. A few minutes
  later, you spot a a man has floated to the
  beach with no PFD. A fishing license is still
  clipped to his shirt. He is dressed in a light
  shirt and blue jeans.
• He is breathing but curled up in a fetal
  position, barely mumbling incoherently something
  about the damm Co Hos and where is my bud?
• What do you do now?

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Answers your Judges will care about

• Call 911
• Start rewarming with a hypothermic wrap 4 inch
  layer of total insulation in dry layers. No
  matter how cold, the fisherman can still
  internally rewarm themselves much more
  efficiently than any external rewarming.
• Add Fuel fluids (no solid food as their GI
  system has shut down) Give mixture of warm water
  and sugar (like diluted dissolved jello)
• Make them pee-empty the bladder as urine draws
  away precious heat needed for vital organs. Dont
  worry-they will have to go hypothermia causes
  cold diuresis
• Add heat in the form of hot water
  bottles/thermos, warm rocks, towels to area of
  major arteries like the groin, neck, arm pits and
  palms of hands.

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SMACKDOWN TopicBonus Tie breaker

• At 86 degrees a body is in metabolic Ice Box
  state. What can you do to determine if if they
  are dead or alive?
• Creativity in absence of knowledge will be
  rewarded

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Answers Judges will care about

• In severe hypothermia (core temp under 90
  degrees) the person will be curled up in a fetal
  position. Their pupils will be large and fixed.
  You cannot locate a pulse on the wrist and they
  make only breath a couple times a minute if at
  all.Try to open their arm up from the fetal
  position, if it curls back up, the person is
  alive. Dead muscles wont contract only live
  muscles.