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Prevent and treat cold exposure

Hypothermia and frostbite can occur during power or heating failures, outdoor work and travel in winter. Older adults, babies in cold rooms and people outdoors for long periods are most at risk, per CDC.

How

1. Learn hypothermia signs: shivering, exhaustion, confusion, clumsy hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. Babies may have bright red, cold skin and very low energy.
2. Learn frostbite signs: white or greyish-yellow skin that feels firm or waxy, and numbness.
3. Treat hypothermia by the first aid in medical-22: handle the person gently and keep them lying flat, insulate them from the ground with a vapour barrier, remove wet clothes and warm the core.
4. Frostbite: rewarm only if it cannot refreeze; otherwise keep it frozen until it can stay thawed. Do not rub it or use a stove, fire or heating pad (medical-22).
5. Keep spare blankets, warm clothes and a non-electric heat source plan for heating failures, and keep winter kits in vehicles.

Safety: In severe hypothermia, check breathing and pulse for a full 60 seconds before starting CPR, because a slow pulse is hard to feel through cold skin. Call for help and keep warming.

Sources

1. Preventing Hypothermia. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed 2026-11
2. Hypothermia: Updated Recommendations from the Wilderness Medical Society (Am Fam Physician 2020;102(9):571-572). American Academy of Family Physicians, accessed 2026-11
3. Frostbite: Updated Recommendations from the Wilderness Medical Society (Am Fam Physician, April 2020). American Academy of Family Physicians, accessed 2026-11

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