Follow Our Trip To Canada's James Bay
Scott & Deanna are on their way to instruct for the Moose Cree First Nation On James Bay. Feel free to watch their progress and their adventure around Northern Ontario
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Hypothermia Our Spring, Fall & Winter Enemy
The leaves have fallen from the trees, the clocks have changed and the days are getting even shorter still. As winter slowly slides in I can’t help but over hear the weather reports. -22’C in Edmonton, -25’C in Yellowknife, I feel somewhat blessed to be sitting here in Ontario with temperatures in the low single digits. Most outdoors people are not scared off by our current local temperatures, but most do not realize there is a silent enemy awaiting them between the bare trees and the November winds, an enemy that will strike should they let their guard down, or be unprepared. The enemy is Hypothermia.
Every year there is usually one or two stories that make the news about a hunter or wilderness adventurer that becomes stranded in the bush for a night, be it from an injury or from getting lost. The story usually ends with a report of the individual being found but suffering from the elements.
So what is this deadly condition that can sneak up on us when things go awry?
It is called Hypothermia:
Hypothermia is defined as ~ Hypothermia, a potentially fatal condition, occurs when body temperature falls below 95°F (35°C).
When someone says the word hypothermia most people conjure up an image of a mountain climber or arctic explorer who is nearly frozen solid. Although these types of incidents do happen, often the story is not as drastic. Often an average individual with good intentions finds themselves in the middle of a hypothermia scenario.
The individual is usually dressed in clothing that is light weight or made of cotton. Although the weather maybe nice by day as the evening hour’s role around and the sun sets the person will often “catch a chill”. Hard work or travel during the day has caused perspiration which in turn has made the individuals clothes damp. A light breeze or failing to insulate one’s self from the ground adequately while taking a break is all that is required to start the cooling process.
The body has a built in defence mechanism whereby it shunts blood from the extremities towards the core of the body in an attempt to protect the vital organs. The individual will start to suffer from cold hands and feet (which can cause a cascade leading to an increased risk for frostbite). As the body’s core temperature begins to slide downward the individual will begin to shiver. This is the body’s way of telling us we are not moving around enough, so it tries to move for us. When we utilize our muscles, they produce heat which helps raise our core body temperature. So... if you start shivering start moving, go for a quick jog, do some jumping jacks or in a survival situation now would be a good time to gather some fire wood.
If we ignore this warning sign or we are unable to move perhaps do to an injury our core temperature continues to drop. We actually will reach a point where we stop shivering, this is not because we have warmed up but because they body has decided that the shivering defence is not working and does not want to expend anymore energy on a method of warming that is not working.
When the shivering stops, the pilot light in our furnace has basically gone out. The body now requires heat to be put back into it from an outside source. I.e. Heat packs and or slow re-warming in a controlled environment, etc... Notice I said a slowly controlled re-warming, as rapid re-warming can cause an influx of cold blood from the extremities to rush back to the heart, this rush can bring on cardiac abnormalities such as heart arrhythmias.
Individuals will start to show the warning signs of Hypothermia, The Umbles, Mumbles and Stumbles. Their fine motor co-ordination will begin to fail (Umbles) this can complicate simple tasks such as working buttons and zippers on clothing. They will start to slur their speech and have trouble annunciating their words (Mumbles). And lastly they will often have trouble co-ordinating gross motor skills such as walking (Stumbles). It is not unusual for victims of hypothermia to act in irrational ways, for example taking all of their clothes off while claiming they feel hot, when in actuality they are freezing to death. An individual who can’t answer simple questions like what is 2+2 in a reasonable time should have the warming process started on them ASAP.
In my next post we will talk about some ways that a person can be effectively rewarmed under field conditions and what some of the predisposing factors to hypothermia are.
Deanna Headed For James Bay
The Highlands Wilderness Training Institute is happy to once again be working with our friends from The Moose Cree in Moossonee Ontario. Instructors for HWTI will be traveling to the Washow lodge... Where she will be teaching a custom training course for the lodges employees. Topics will include: Wilderness First Aid, WHMIS, Transportation Of Dangerous Goods & Personnel Watercraft Operators Certification
Nav Canada Vancouver
The Highlands Wilderness Training Institute, as part of it’s National Training Contract with Nav Canada, recently completed a combined Custom Wilderness First Aid & Wilderness Survival Course for the employees of Nav Canada’s Vancouver Division.
During the program the participants were given 5 days of training in matters relating to Wilderness First Aid & Wilderness Survival skills as part of Nav Canada’s National Training Program. The skills provided are directly related to the on the job needs of the Engineering Department Employees, who often work in remote wilderness locations while installing Navigation Aids & Communications Equipment that is used by Aircraft Pilots & Air Traffic Controllers.
Job Well Done Guys
Nav Canada Training In Moncton New Brunswick
The Highlands Wilderness Training Institute, as part of it’s National Training Contract with Nav Canada, recently completed a combined Custom Wilderness First Aid & Wilderness Survival Course for the employees of Nav Canada’s New Brunswick & Newfoundland Division. During the program the participants were given 4 days of training in matters relating to Wilderness First Aid & Wilderness Survival skills as part of Nav Canada’s National Training Program. The skills provided are directly related to the on the job needs of the Engineering Department Employees, who often work in remote wilderness locations while installing Navigation Aids & Communications Equipment that is used by Aircraft Pilots & Air Traffic Controllers.
Job Well Done Guys and thank you for the Eastern Canada Hospitality. We Will Be Back again only with our fishing rods and rain suits next time around 
Deanna Conducting W-EMT Medic Work In Yellowknife
Once again The Highlands Wilderness Training Institute is working with our friends at NAC Construction by providing Medical & Safety support at their Bluefish Dam Construction site which is located in Canada’s Northwest Territories North Of Yellowknife. Access to the remote camp and worksite is via ice road in the winter and via Helicopter for the rest of the year. Deanna is onsite providing medical support for the camp. When we say our instructors have been their done that we have the stories to back it up. We head to the ends of the Earth to provide the best service we can. And yes there still is snow in Yellowknife in May
HWTI Awarded Contract To Provide National Training For NAV CANADA
Instructors from The Highlands Wilderness Training Institute have been awarded a National Contract to provide a custom wilderness training package, to the national service technicians for Canada’s Air Traffic Control system. During the delivery of this custom program instructors will be traveling from Moncton in Eastern Canada through Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton & Vancouver. If you require the delivery of a custom national training program for your staff please feel free to send us an email at wildernesstraining@gmail.com
Sub-Arctic Onsite Wilderness First Responder Course for NAC Construction
The Ops Manger for the Highlands Wilderness Training Institute has arrived home after completing an 11 day Journey to Canada s Northwest Territories to conduct a First Responder Course for NAC Construction and The Northwest Territories Power Corporation. During the course often while working in temperatures of -40‘C and lower, the employees learned to deal with medical emergencies while working in the wilderness subarctic region North of Yellowknife. The current camp will be the future home of the Bluefish Hydro Dam which is operated by The NWT Power Corporation. The Highlands Wilderness Training Institute recently conduction of the First Responder Course, HWTI’s Operations Manager and a qualified Wilderness EMT provided onsite medical coverage for the employees working on the construction site. Please feel free to take a look at the pictures from his trip in our photos page on this website. Pictures include both the journey up the Ice Road in addition to various panoramic and course photos.
Our Operations manager heads back to Yellowknife, NT
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation owns and operates Bluefish Hydro, a hydro generation facility located at the north end of Prosperous Lake at the outlet of the Yellowknife River. This facility has a generation capacity of 7.2 Megawatts and supplies power to the Yellowknife service area. Bluefish Hydro was originally developed by Nerco Con Mines. Construction began in 1940 and first power was generated in 1942. As part of that development an impoundment dam was constructed at the outlet of Bluefish Lake. The original construction of the dam was rock filled timber crib, utilizing locally harvested timbers. The normal life expectancy of a timber crib dam is approximately 40 years, however, upgrades to the dam completed in 1973, 1983 and 2007 extended the dams life beyond the normal expected period.
From Peru To Haliburton Then Off To Hawaii
Having traveled to such places as the amazon jungle and the mountains of peru, Anthony is no stranger to hardship in the Wilderness. Working a s professional bird surveyor in some of the most remote places on Earth, Anthony knows all about how alone you can be and how bad things can turn if things go wrong. With this in mind he decided it was time to re-certify his basic wilderness first aid. Under the watchful eye of the instructors here at HWTI Anthony, Steve & Syd spent an adventurous weekend in the forests of minden hills fine tuning their wilderness first aid skills. Great job guys and well done. We look forward to seeing you in a first responder course or wilderness navigation course when your schedules allow ..