English 421K, Technical Writing

Your in the snowball fight of your life! You've been at it for hours with the whole neighborhood, throwing snowballs until your arms are tired. You duck down behind your snow-fort wall to doge incomming missles, and then decide you are tired enough to take a break. A few minutes later, you can't feel you hands or feet, and you start shivering uncontrollably. You start feeling sleepy and want to take a nap and let the cold pass. What's happening? You're being attacked by hypothermia and frostbite, and now is the time to run and get help as fast as you can!

Hypothermia and frostbite are the silent killers of winter. If winter fun isn't taken seriously, you could lose a hand, a foot, or even die! Pay attention to the warnings in this message, and it could save your, or your best friends, life.

You get hypothermia any time your body temperature falls below 98.6°F. Since most of you won't be running around with a thermometer in your mouth, here are the warning sighs of hypothermia:

1. Uncontrollable shivering
2. Disorientation (not knowing where you are)
3. Slurred speach (can't talk normal)
4. Cold pale skin

If you have these symptoms, GET HELP IMMEDIATELY! If you don't you'll get sleepy, stop shivering, and lose consciousness. If you still don't get help, you'll die. It's critical that you get to help as fast as possible and not give in to the sleepiness. Moving your body creates heat, which will keep you alive until you can get indoors.

Frostbite is when your skin and tissue begin to freeze when exposed to cold temperatures. It is possible to get frostbite without getting hypothermia, as any exposed skin will freeze quicker than it takes to get cold enough for hypothermia. The symptoms of frostbite are as follows:

1. 1st Degree Frostbite - Can't feel affected area (hands, feet, nose, ears)
2. 2nd Degree Frostbite - Skin feels frozen and hard, and will likely blister
3. 3rd Degree Frostbite - Skin turns blue or black, gets very hard

If you have frostbite, you need to get medical help. If you don't, you could lose the affected limb, and it's hard to throw snowballs without hands. If you can't get immediate help, warm your frostibitten parts by placing them in or close to something warm. WARNING - DO NOT RUB FROSTBITTEN SKIN TO MAKE IT WARM. IT WILL CAUSE MORE DAMAGE!

Hypothermia and frostbite are dangerous medical conditions, but they can be avoided with common sense. Bundle up to stay warm, wearing many layers. Mittens keep hands warmer than gloves, since the fingers stay together. Wear a hat and scarf and whatever else is necessasary to cover as much skin as possible. Never play outside in cold weather alone. If you follow these basic guidlines, you can safely enjoy snowball fights for years to come.