HARRISON CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A sheriff's office near Detroit is sharing tips about what to do if you fall into freezing water after they saved a woman who fell off a dock into the icy water of Lake Saint Clair while she was fishing Monday.
The Macomb County Sheriff's Office along with the Harrison Fire Department rescued the woman after she was stranded in the 36-degree water of the lake that feeds into Lake Erie for 15 minutes, according to a post on the sheriff's office Facebook page.
She was fishing with a friend, who called over two men nearby for help. They could not get her out of the water because her body went completely numb, but they held onto her from the docks so she wouldn't slip under the water and "surely drown," the sheriff's office said in the post.
Because of this incident, the sheriff's office is sharing 10 tips on what to do if you find yourself in freezing water.
- Don't panic. Try to get control of your breathing. Hold onto something or stay as still as possible until your breathing settles down. It may be a boat, a fixed object, or something floating. Focus on floating with your head above water until the cold shock response abates.
- If multiple people fall into cold water, huddling in a group lessens the loss of body heat and is good for morale. Also, rescuers can spot a group more easily than individuals.
- If you were not wearing a PFD (life jacket) when you entered the water, look to see if one is floating around you and put it on immediately. Don't take your clothes off unless absolutely necessary. A layer of water trapped inside your clothing will help insulate you.
- Get as much of your body out of the water as possible. Even though you may feel colder out of the water, the rate of heat loss will be slower than if immersed in water.
- If you cannot get out of the water quickly, act to protect against rapid heat loss. In as little as 10 minutes, you may be unable to self-rescue. Your focus now should be to slow heat loss.
- Safety typically looks closer than it actually is, so staying with the boat is usually a better choice than swimming.
- Adopt a position to reduce heat loss. If alone, use the HELP (Heat Escape Lessening Posture) position; or if there are others in the water with you, huddle together. The HELP position looks similar to the fetal position.
- If you must swim, conserve energy and minimize movement. Swim on your back with your upper arms against the sides of your chest, your thighs together, and your knees bent. Flutter-kick with your lower legs.
- Be prepared at all times to signal rescuers.
- Seek medical help immediately.
For more information on water safety, the sheriff's office recommends visiting this boater safety website.
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