Need help right now?
If someone needs immediate help with extreme cold, use emergency mode.
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DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Severe cold threatens health — exposure or inadequate heating.
The essentials if you need to act right now.
Stay warm and dry indoors. Watch for shivering and confusion.
What might I see? Observable signs — no diagnosis required.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Intense shivering, slurred speech, clumsiness, or drowsiness.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — White gray skin on fingers, ears, or nose indicates frostbite.
Optional deeper explanation — not required to act.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Cold kills through hypothermia when core temperature drops below 35°C.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Wind and wet clothing accelerate heat loss dramatically.
Check the scene before you approach.
Civilian-safe actions you can take.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Move person indoors and remove wet clothing.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Wrap in dry blankets including head.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Offer warm sweet drinks if fully conscious — no alcohol.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Use body heat from companion in shared blanket if heating fails.
When and how to get professional help.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Prevent hypothermia with warmth and dry layers. Evacuate to warming center if home cannot be heated safely.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call 112 if shivering stops, confusion worsens, or person unresponsive.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Never leave hypothermic person alone.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Severe hypothermia needs hospital rewarming even if pulse seems weak.
Dangerous actions, when not to attempt rescue, and common myths.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT rub frostbitten skin — causes tissue damage.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT use direct heat on numb skin before rewarming gradually.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Alcohol warms you in cold weather
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Alcohol dilates blood vessels and accelerates core heat loss.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Hypothermia and impaired judgment in freezing conditions.
Other scenarios in the same family.
Aftershock
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — The ground shakes again after the main earthquake.
Avalanche warning
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Avalanche danger is high on slopes where you are traveling or living.
Buried in avalanche
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — You or someone nearby is buried in avalanche snow.
Compound disaster
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Multiple disasters overlap — e.g. earthquake and tsunami, cyclone and flood.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Carbon monoxide poisoning mimics flu — check heater ventilation.