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As winter has arrived, it is important that we teach our children awareness around cold-weather-related emergencies which they may experience when exposed to the elements for a prolonged period of time. Last week's article, taught you which signs and symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite your kids should be able to recognize (click here if you missed it!). This week, I want you to take that conversation with them one step further! Let's teach them what to do if they suspect signs of hypothermia or frostbite!
What to do if you suspect signs of hypothermia...
What to do if you suspect signs of frostbite...
Always remember that it's important to remember to continue to warm the person even after their body temperature begins to rise. We do not want to warm the person too quickly as it can lead to abnormal heart rhythms and shock.
Here are the top 4 ways to safely warm a person who's experienced a cold-weather-related emergency:
Knowing the signs and symptoms of hypothermia and frostbite is important, and knowing what to do if you suspect signs of these cold-weather-related emergencies could save a life or limb! Let's educate our children so they can safely enjoy our winter wonderlands!
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Teach Your Kids...How to recognize hypothermia and other cold-weather-related emergencies!12/20/2021
The two most common cold-weather-related emergencies that are most important to teach your children about are hypothermia and frostbite. Read to learn about the signs and symptoms, along with the top 5 ways to prevent hypothermia and frostbite!
What is Hypothermia?
According to the CDC, hypothermia, abnormally low body temperatures, can happen when your body is using more of its stored energy (heat) than it can produce. This is most common when you are exposed to cold temperatures for an extended period of time.
Hypothermia is dangerous because if someone's body temperature gets too low, it could affect their brain function which could limit movement and the ability to get out of the cold. Signs & Symptoms of Hypothermia:
What is Frostbite?
Frostbite can also occur due to extended exposure to cold temperatures, however, frostbite occurs when body parts such as fingertip, toes, ears, nose, and cheeks begin to freeze due to prolonged exposure.
Frostbite is dangerous because it can lead to permanent tissue damages such as amputation. Signs & Symptoms of Frostbite:
Top 5 ways to prevent hypothermia and frostbite?
Teaching your little ones how to recognize hypothermia and frostbite could prevent them from experiencing these cold-weather-related emergencies! Know which signs to recognize while your family enjoying some fun activities outside this winter!
Learn something new? Want more tips on what to teach your children about water safety? Sign up for our Newsletter!
Last week, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance published a statistic from the Total Aquatic Programming's Drowning Data that showed there were 46 registered drowning incidences in November 2021. With drowning statistics still so higher, there could be a time where you and your family are out enjoying a day at the pool or beach and recognize that someone needs help. Educating yourself and teaching your children about what to do if they see someone who needs help could not only save that person's life, it could also help ensure their own safety while helping someone in need.
Here are some tips and information you can teach your children about what to do if they notice someone who is in distress while in the water.
How to recognize someone who needs help?
There are many common signs for someone who is in distress. Knowing these signs and signals could prevent a distressed person become a fatal statistic.
Common signs of someone who is in distress are:
Who you need to call and what you need to say?
If there an ever an emergency either in the water or on land, it's important to teach your little ones who to call and what they should tell that person.
Teach your little one to call 911 if there is ever an emergency. Be sure to explain what an emergency is. We recommend teaching your children that an emergency is a situation that is a risk to your life, health, or home. We recommend you tailor this definition to meet the developmental ages of your children. It's important to teach your little ones what they should tell the 911 operator that picks up the phone. 911 operators are trained to ask questions that will help them determine what responders are needed at the scene. By teaching your children what to tell the 911 operator, it could contribute to faster response times. Teach your children to provide the following information:
What can you do while waiting for help to arrive?
There are sometimes in which EMS has a longer response time due to the location of the incident. If your children see someone who is in need of help and know that it may take some time before EMS or a trained rescuer responds to the emergency, there are safe ways they can respond that could save a life. It's just as important to practice the following responses as it is to talk about them. Practicing these top three safest ways to respond to a water emergency will ensure their safety while helping someone in distress.
Top three safest ways to help someone in distress:
Each situation will vary and the approach you choose will be based on where the person in distress is. Regardless of the situation, it's important to remember that you should NEVER go in the water to rescue someone unless you are a certified lifeguard or rescuer. Accidents happen and we don't want you to become another fatal static while trying to help someone in need. Certified lifeguards and trained rescuers have specialized training to help them safely rescue someone in distress.
Rescuing someone who is in distress and using a reach, throw, or row approach when a trained lifeguard or rescuer is not around could save a life. If a person in distress is not rescued, they will drown. There could be a time where your children notice someone in distress. Let's teach them the tools they need to safely save a life.
Learn something new? Want more tips on what to teach your children about water safety? Sign up for our Newsletter!
While it's a fact that accidents happen, it's important to teach our little ones how best to respond. Having the skills and knowledge of what to do in case of an emergency or dangerous situation can save a life! Below you will find the top three scenarios and how you should teach your children to respond if they are even in one of these dangerous situations. SCENARIO 1: While swimming you can no longer touch the bottom and are starting to feel tired. You should... bob back to an area where you can stand in chest-deep water. To bob back to shore, you push off the bottom of the swimming area (lake, ocean, pool, etc.) as hard as you can and leap forward. Take a breath when your head is above water and then take another leap forward. Continue this pattern until you are back in chest-deep water. If you are too tired to continue, float on your back or tread water while calling for help. SCENARIO 2: While you are swimming you see lightning or hear thunder nearby. You should... get out of the water immediately and leave the swimming area. If possible, get indoors. SCENARIO 3: While swimming at the beach, you notice that the current keeps pulling you further away from the shore and you are having a difficult time making any forward progress swimming back. You are most likely caught in a riptide. You should... start swimming parallel to the beach instead of swimming back to shore. Once you no longer feel the pull away from the shore, you are out of the riptide and can begin swimming diagonally back to shore. If you are too tired to continue, float on your back or tread water while calling for help. Keep floating until someone comes to rescue you, someone throws you a floatation device, you no longer feel the pull away from the shore, or you have the energy to start swimming again. Understanding what to do in dangerous situations is part of being a safe water-competent swimmer. To learn more about your swimmers' knowledge of water safety and how you can support them at home, take our water competency quiz!
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