Hypothermia: warning signs and how to prevent it
▶ PLAY FINTON FREEHypothermia can happen even above 40°F if someone gets chilled from rain, sweat or cold water. Know the signs before you need them.
Warning signs
| Adults | Babies |
|---|---|
| Shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech, drowsiness | Bright red, cold skin and very low energy |
The CDC says to get medical attention immediately if a person's temperature is below 95°F. Hypothermia is a medical emergency.
While you wait for help
- Move the person to a warm room or shelter and remove wet clothing.
- Warm the center of the body first: chest, neck, head and groin.
- Offer warm, non-alcoholic drinks only if they are conscious.
- If there's no pulse or breathing, call for emergency help and start CPR.
Prevention
- Wear several loose layers, a water-resistant coat, a hat, a scarf and gloves or mittens.
- Stay dry. Wet clothes pull heat away fast.
- Limit alcohol, which raises the risk.
- Keep babies out of cold bedrooms, and check on older neighbors who may be without heat.
For keeping a house warm during an outage, see How to stay warm when the power goes out.
Finton Field Notes: use this in the game
- Watch your BODY °F bar. Your character's temperature depends on clothing, wetness, wind, activity and fire, just like the real thing.
- Get a winter coat, hat and gloves, and a rain shell. They're among the most valuable things you can find or trade for as the month gets colder.
- Getting wet is dangerous. Fording creeks or walking in the rain without a shell chills you fast. Dry off by a fire.
- A cold house hurts your whole family. Board every window and keep the wood stove fed; each piece of firewood burns about 3 hours. WARMTH is one of the five homestead needs.
- Hypothermia lowers your max health and stamina, so you can't run or fight as well until you warm up.
Sources
This guide is general information for preparedness. Follow official guidance and your local emergency managers, and call 911 in an emergency.