OUTDOOR RECREATION:
Exposure to hypothermia in wilderness recreation, includes
canoeing, kayaking, marine, and ice sports fishing, sailing ( immersion hypothermia ),
down hill and cross country skiing, climbing, hiking, back packing, hunting, skidoo and
diving. Remote locations, no medical assistance.
SEARCH AND RESCUE:
Exposure hypothermia on
land, fresh and salt water usually in
remote areas. Land scenarios include mountaineering, caving, avalanche and crevasse
rescues. Water accidents include recreation and commercial activities as well as disaster
situations, such as flooding, mud slides, earthquakes and transportation accidents.
Organizations include volunteer SAR groups, Ski patrol, Military, Fire dept., Divers,
Police, Coast Guard and Ambulance.
MARITIME COMMERCIAL:
Cold water immersion hypothermia. Usually in remote areas.
Tendency to be mass events, Spirit of Free Enterprise capsizing, the
Lakonia, Titanic etc.
Others include: commercial fisherman, merchant marine, ferries, cruise ships, offshore oil
rigs, oceanographic research vessels and diving.
MILITARY:
Peacetime hypothermia incidence are low. Experience shows that
war-time incidence increases dramatically. Remote and adverse conditions, probability of
trauma related hypothermia is large (shock/immobility). cold and/or wet environments.
History demonstrates that cold conditions affects outcome of battles. Navy: on board ship
and life boats, Army field hospitals and ambulances, company medics. These may also
respond to natural disasters.
AMBULANCES:
Pre-hospital contact with all levels and causes of hypothermia,
mva's, trauma, immersion, transfer from rescue, drug and alcohol abuse, and diabetes
related hypothermia in the elderly. Remote areas are typical for long transportation
times.
HOSPITALS:
Treat all levels of hypothermia, urban (alcohol/drugs) elderly,
infant incubators, trauma etc. Significant difference between large urban hospitals and
small clinics. The last are less likely to have complex facilities to cope with treatment
for hypothermia.. This is not recognized in the majority of cases.
RES-Q-AIR