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Excessive Cold Safety Rules
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| Persons with delicate plants should take measures to protect them from the cold temperatures. |
| Make frequent checks of the elderly. Make sure their furnaces are working and heating the house properly. |
| Pets are also susceptible to cold weather. If they must stay outside...make sure there is a warm and dry shelter with sufficient food and unfrozen water. |
| House and apartment fires pose the greatest hazard during cold outbreaks in Florida. Remember to keep flammable materials such as newspapers or clothing away from portable heaters. Make sure that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly...especially when sleeping. |
| If you must go outside...remember that several layers of clothes will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat. A hat is also important since 20 percent of body heat loss is through the head. |
| Cold weather itself puts an extra strain on the heart. If you add to this the strain of heavy physical activity, you could be at risk for a heart attack. |
| Dress appropriately before going outdoors. The air temperature does not have to be below freezing for someone to experience cold emergencies such as hypothermia and frostbite. Wind speed can create dangerously cold conditions even when the temperature is not that low. If possible, dress in layers so you can adjust to changing conditions. |
| Be extra careful with kerosene heaters! Make sure the room is well ventilated. These heaters give off toxic fumes that can make you sick or even kill you. Never use a charcoal grill to warm your house. |
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| HYPOTHERMIA: LOW BODY TEMPERATURE |
Warning signs - uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion.
Detection - Take the person's temperature. If below 95F 35C), immediately seek medical care! If medical care is not available, begin warming the person slowly. Warm the body core first. If needed, use your own body heat to help. Get the person into dry clothing, and wrap them in a warm blanket covering the head and neck. Do not give the person
alcohol, drugs, coffee, or any hot beverage or food; warm broth is better. Do not warm extremities (arms and legs) first! This drives the cold blood toward the heart and can lead to heart failure.
Frostbite is damage to body tissue caused by that tissue being frozen. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and a white or pale appearance in extremities, such as fingers, toes, ear lobes, or the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, get medical help immediately! If you must wait for help, slowly rewarm affected areas. However, if the person is also
showing signs of hypothermia, warm the body core before the extremities.
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