1、Cold Water Survival2012EditionA POCKET GUIDE FORCold Water SurvivalFirst published in 1981 by the International Maritime Organization 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SRFourth edition, 2012Printed in the United Kingdom by MicropressISBN 978-92-801-1565-9 Copyright International Maritime Organization
2、 2012All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the International Maritime Organization.Reproduction and/or translation rights may be available for this title.
3、For further details please contact IMO Publishing at copyrightimo.org.This publication has been prepared from official documents of IMO, and every effort has been made to eliminate errors and reproduce the original text(s) faithfully. Readers should be aware that, in case of inconsistency, the offic
4、ial IMO text will prevail.IMO PUBLICATIONSales number: IB946EContents1 Introduction 12 Cold water hazards and their effects: 2 knowledge that can improve survival chances3 Actions prior to abandoning the ship 54 The survival phase: in a survival craft 65 The survival phase: in the water 76 The rescu
5、e phase: guidance for those 9 engaged in search and rescue 7 Treatment of people recovered from cold water 118 Treatment of people recovered from survival craft 149 The apparently dead 1510 Summing up 161Cold Water Survival1 IntroductionThis guidance is intended primarily for seafarers. It provides
6、information which will help you if you are unlucky enough to fall into cold water, or have to enter it in an emergency, or have to use survival craft in cold conditions. It also provides information which will help seafarers, trained as first-aid providers, to treat those rescued from cold condition
7、s.This guide briefly examines the hazards of exposure to the cold that may endanger life, and provides advice based on the latest medical and scientific opinion on how to prevent or minimize those dangers. It is a sad fact that people continue to die at sea through a lack of this knowledge. Knowing
8、what is likely to happen if you are exposed to cold water is a survival aid in itself. A thorough understanding of the information contained in this booklet may some day save your life or someone elses.It is most important to realize that you are not helpless to affect your own survival in cold wate
9、r. Understanding your bodys response and simple self-help techniques can extend your survival time, particularly if you are wearing a lifejacket. You can make a difference; this guide is intended to show you how.The guidance is laid out as follows: an explanation of cold water hazards and their effe
10、cts followed by sections on: actions to be taken prior to abandoning your ship that will improve your chances of survival actions to be taken during the survival phase, whether in survival craft or in the water the rescue phase treatment of people recovered from cold water or from survival craft in
11、cold conditions treatment of the apparently dead.2 3Cold Water SurvivalCold Water Survival2 Cold water hazards and their effects: knowledge that can improve survival chancesAn understanding of how your body reacts to cold air or water exposure, and knowing the steps you can take to help your body de
12、lay the damaging effects of cold stress, will help you stay alive.If you need to abandon your ship you should, if possible, avoid going into cold water at all. Cold water represents a much greater risk than cold air, partly because water takes heat away from the body much faster than air. Human bein
13、gs cool four to five times faster in water than in air of the same temperature and the colder the water is the more likely it is that you will suffer the physical reactions and medical problems described below. Therefore, you should try to enter survival or rescue craft directly, without entering th
14、e water.The major threats of cold water immersion are: drowning hypothermia* (see appendix 2, page 20, Symptoms of hypothermia) collapse just before, during, or after rescue.Four stages of immersion have been identified. Each is associated with particular risks, and it helps to understand these and
15、so be better able to deal with them.Initial responses to immersion in cold water may include: inability to hold your breath an involuntary gasp, followed by uncontrollable breathing increased stress placed on your heart.These responses are caused by the sudden fall in skin temperature. It is importa
16、nt to remember that they will last only about three minutes and will then ease. Remember too that, at this stage: the fitter you are, the smaller the initial responses to cold water immersion and the smaller the chance of you experiencing heart problems wearing an appropriate lifejacket, properly fi
17、tted, will decrease the risk by helping to keep your airway clear of the water and reducing the need for you to exercise during this critical period wearing appropriate protective clothing will also decrease the risk by slowing the rate of skin cooling and, thereby, the size of the initial responses
18、 if you experience initial responses you should stay still for the first few minutes of immersion, doing as little as possible until you have regained control of your breathing; a lifejacket or other source of buoyancy will help you do this the period of possible self-rescue starts immediately after
19、 the initial responses, if experienced, and before hypothermia sets in.Short-term immersion effects follow the initial responses. During this phase, cooling of the muscles and nerves close to the surface of the skin particularly in the limbs can lead to inability to perform physical tasks. Swimming
20、ability will be significantly impaired. (Swimming accelerates the rate of cooling in any event.) It follows that: essential survival action that requires grip strength and/or manual dexterity such as adjusting clothing or your * By medical convention clinical hypothermia is considered present when t
21、he “deep”, or “core”, body temperature falls below 35C (95F): that is, when about 2C (3.5F) has been lost. With continued cooling consciousness will be progressively impaired and then lost; eventually death will follow. However, in cold water death from hypothermia itself is relatively rare. More of
22、 a threat is the loss of heat from the muscles: incapacitation may then lead to the casualty being unable to keep their airway the mouth and/or nose clear of the water, so that they drown. Hence the importance of being well clothed and wearing a correctly fitted and adjusted lifejacket.4 5Cold Water
23、 SurvivalCold Water Survivallifejacket, or locating a lifejacket whistle or turning on a light, for example should be taken as soon as possible after the initial responses to cold water immersion have passed you should not attempt to swim unless it is to reach a fellow survivor or a nearby shore, cr
24、aft, or other floating object onto which you can hold or climb.Stay calm. Evaluate your options. Can you reach a shore or floating object knowing that your swimming ability will be less than normal? If not, stay where you are, conserve body heat (see below), and await rescue.Long-term immersion effe
25、cts include a fall in deep-body temperature (a cooling of your vital organs such as your heart, lungs and brain) to hypothermic levels. However, the rate at which your deep-body temperature falls depends on many factors, including the clothing you are wearing, your physique, and whether or not you e
26、xercise in the water, by swimming, for example. Your temperature will fall more slowly if you: wear several layers of clothing, including head covering, especially under a waterproof outer layer such as an immersion suit keep still this is greatly facilitated by wearing a lifejacket.The rescue phase
27、 is the fourth stage of immersion you should focus on. A significant percentage of people die just before they are rescued, during their rescue, or just after it. This may be because of: the way in which they are rescued relaxing too soon loss of buoyancy actions such as waving, etc. may release air
28、 trapped in clothing. Again, wearing a lifejacket removes this threat.It follows that: you should stay still in the water; blow a whistle or shout to attract attention but do not wave unless you are wearing a lifejacket or have some other aid to flotation the rescue itself should be carried out appr
29、opriately (see the rescue phase, below) you should maintain your determination to survive throughout; do not relax too soon.3 Actions prior to abandoning the shipAvoid abandoning ship for as long as safely possible: the ship is the best survival craft.When abandonment is necessary there may be littl
30、e time to formulate a plan, so careful planning beforehand is essential. Here are some things to remember should you ever have to abandon a ship: Ensure distress alerts have been sent. If you have emergency location beacons, including personal beacons, switch them on and leave them on. If possible k
31、eep the emergency location beacon with you. Rescue units are most likely to find the emergency location beacon first. Put on as many layers of warm clothing as possible, including on your feet. Make sure to cover your head, neck, and hands. The outer layer should be as watertight as possible. Fasten
32、 clothing to improve insulation and to minimize cold water flushing in and out beneath the clothing. If an immersion suit is available put it on over the warm clothing. Put on a suitable lifejacket and secure it correctly. In cold water you will quickly lose full use of your fingers. If the lifejack
33、et is fitted with crotch and/or other retaining straps, make sure that they are pulled tight. They will hold the lifejacket in the right position, increasing buoyancy; you may not be able to tighten them once in the water. If the lifejacket is of the automatic inflation type, inflate it manually aft
34、er leaving the interior of the ship but before entering the water.6 7Cold Water SurvivalCold Water Survival If time permits, drink a lot before leaving the ship. Warm sweet drinks are best but dont drink alcohol: it can reduce the chances of survival in cold water. Take extra water with you if possi
35、ble. Before leaving the ship, or immediately after boarding the survival craft, take anti-seasickness medicine. Avoid entering the water at all, if possible. If you must go into the water, avoid jumping in. If davit-launched survival craft, a marine escape system or other means of dry-shod embarkati
36、on are not available use over-side ladders if you can, or lower yourself slowly, by means of a rope or fire hose, for example. If jumping into the water is unavoidable, you should try to keep your elbows to your side and cover your nose and mouth with one hand while holding the wrist or elbow firmly
37、 with the other hand. Just before you jump look down to ensure the area beneath is clear of obstruction, and then jump with eyes fixed on the horizon to ensure you stay in a vertical position as you fall. Avoid jumping onto a liferaft canopy (you may injure yourself or people inside) and avoid jumpi
38、ng into the water astern of a liferaft still secured to the ship, in case the ship has some remaining headway.4 The survival phase: in a survival craftYou should try to enter the survival craft “dry”. This may not be possible and the craft is unlikely to be dry itself. You can still cool to dangerou
39、s levels, especially if wet to begin with, partly because of the evaporation of water in your clothing. Even if wearing an immersion suit, or a so-called “dry” suit, you may still be wet. Stay calm. There are things you can do to improve your situation: In survival craft without covers, try to give
40、yourself a waterproof and windproof covering: plastic sheeting or bags, for example, if suitable clothing is not available. Enclosed survival craft give you better protection from the elements but may still become wet inside. Having checked that there are no other survivors able to reach the raft, c
41、lose the covers as soon as you can, before your hands get too cold. Try to avoid sitting in water. Sit on your lifejacket if there is nothing else available. Squeeze as much water as you can out of sodden clothing, before replacing it, to reduce body heat loss through evaporation. Huddling close to
42、the other occupants of the survival craft will also conserve body heat but ensure craft stability is not compromised. Follow your survival craft training (water and food rationing, etc.). Keep a positive attitude of mind about your survival and rescue. Your will to live does make a difference. While
43、 you wait, “stay warm, stay alive” should be your motto.5 The survival phase: in the waterBecause of the greater body heat loss in water, you are always better off out of the water than in it despite how this may feel at first and you are better off partially out of the water if you cannot get out o
44、f it entirely.After the initial responses have passed and you have regained control of your breathing, you should: Orientate yourself and try to locate the ship, survival craft, other survivors, or other floating objects. If you were unable to prepare yourself before entering the water, button up cl
45、othing now. In cold water you may experience violent and distressing shivering and numbness. These are natural body responses that are not dangerous. You do, however, 8 9Cold Water SurvivalCold Water Survivalneed to take action as quickly as possible before you lose full use of your hands. Do not at
46、tempt to swim unless it is to reach a fellow survivor or a nearby shore, craft, or other floating object onto which you can hold or climb. Staying calm and still conserves heat. If swimming, swim on your back, using only your legs, if possible. The arms are critical to heat loss. Not using your arms
47、 to swim means that you can keep them folded over your torso to assist in insulation. Swim downwind of a floating object, if you are trying to reach it, rather than straight towards it. The wind will bring it in your direction. Once upwind of a liferaft, for example, you are unlikely to be able to r
48、each it. Keep checking the objects location and your progress towards it. If you decide that you cannot reach it, stop swimming, stay calm and stay still. The body position you assume in the water is very important in conserving heat. Try to float as still as possible, with your legs together, elbow
49、s close to your side, and arms folded across your chest. This position, which may only be fully achievable if you are wearing a lifejacket or dry suit, minimizes the exposure of the body surface to the cold water. If the lifejacket is fitted with a spray hood, put it on. The hood protects the airways against spray while drifting in the water. The floating body tends to turn towards oncoming waves, with the legs acting like a sea anchor. If you have to, paddle gently to maintain a back-to-wave position. Alt
