Avalance Airbag

Here's something new to me, an avalanche airbag. In February three skiers died in an avalanche near Stevens Pass in Washington state. A fourth skier survived and some credit the "avalanche airbag backpack" she was wearing. One website describes their product as,

"In the event of an avalanche, the air stored in the high-pressure cylinder is released by simply pulling the handle. A combination of compressed air and a Venturi effect inflates the airbag in just 3 seconds.
Once the airbag has been inflated it protects the victim from shocks while simultaneously pulling them to the surface thanks to the inverse segregation phenomenon."

The inverse segregation phenomenon means that, all other aspects being equal, large objects tend to move upwards during mixing. Consider a can of mixed nuts, during shaking a peanut can fall into a small space created underneath while a large brazil nut cannot; so the large nuts "float" to the top over time.

Airbag makers are claiming this also applies during the mixing of snow and rocks during an avalanche but I fail to see how the airbag makes a person that much larger. I find it more believable that the airbag lowers your total density making you more likely to "float" upwards (but that's not called "inverse segregation").

Bottom Line

If you enjoy off trail mountain hiking and skiing consider an airbag backpack. But be warned they are not cheap. Costs have recently come down to $600 to $1,000.

Winter Watch or Warning? What's the Difference?

“The snow was endless, a heavy blanket on the outdoors; it had a way about it. A beauty. But I knew that, like many things, beauty could be deceiving.”
― Cambria Hebert, Whiteout

I can never keep the weather warning terms straight. Which is worse, a watch or a warning? Here's what you need to know, listed in order of increasing severity:

• Winter weather advisory: expect winter weather conditions to cause inconvenience and hazards.
• Frost/freeze warning: expect below-freezing temperatures.
• Winter storm watch: be alert; a storm is likely.
• Winter storm warning: take action; the storm is in or entering the area.
• Blizzard warning: seek refuge immediately! Snow and strong winds, near-zero visibility, deep snow drifts, and life-threatening wind chill.

Bottom Line

The CDC has put together some excellent booklets for winter preparedness.

See Winterindoor safety: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/duringstorm/indoorsafety.asp
And Winter Checklist: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/beforestorm/supplylists.asp

Money to Burn? - Literally

"Gotta use your brain, it's the most important part of your equipment."
~Kevin Andrews and Warren Miller, Extreme Skiing

Here's an odd story about keeping warm. A 66-year-old man was snowshoeing on Mt. Rainier in Washington state when he slipped down a slope and became separated from his group. During the two freezing days it took to find him and rescue him, he kept warm by running in palace and burning things. He had a package of fire starters for he began by burning all the leaves he could find. When those ran out he burned his socks. Then he started burning his cash. Just the small bills, $1s and $5s - nothing crazy like $20s. It worked and he's fine now.

Bottom Line

The story reports that Mr Kim has been "snowshoeing for a decade, was well equipped for a day trip but didn't have overnight gear."  When hiking or snowshoeing in wilderness, always pack overnight gear. You never know when an accident or weather will trap you outside.

Treating Frostbite

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
-White Christmas by Irving Berlin

While we may have wished for a White Christmas, too much exposure to cold and snow can be dangerous. Your body is 60% water and the water in your skin can freeze to ice. This is called frostbite.

Think about water in a ice cube tray. When it freezes, the ice cubes are larger than the water poured in. (The expansion of ice is why ice floats in water.) When ice crystals form in skin or muscle cells the ice expansion and sharp icy prongs bursts the cells and kills them. If the damage is small, it may be painful, but recoverable. However extensive freezing and cell death may result in gangrene and the loss of fingers, toes, ears, nose, etc.

Frostbite usually develops below -12°C (10°F), but may occur at a temperatures near freezing (0°C/32°F) when high winds and/or dampness chills the body faster than your blood can keep it warm. Hands, feet, noses, and ears are the most likely body parts to be affected.

Avoid frostbite by staying out of extreme cold. If you must go out (or become lost, stranded in extreme cold) cover all extremities - winter boots for the feet, gloves for the hands, a hat or earmuffs for the the ears and a mask or scarf for the face. Mittens are more effective than gloves for warming your hands since the fingers can share body heat instead of isolated on their own. Avoid caffeinated beverages (like coffee) as they constrict blood vessels and prevent warming of your extremities. Alcohol should also be avoided since it reduces shivering, which is one way of keeping warm. Cigarette smokers may be at higer risk with reduced blood flow to hands and feet.

Wiggle your fingers and toes frequently to increase blood flow to these areas. Keep your feet and hands dry. If you begin to loose feeling in your fingers and toes, or they begin to tingle, or feel painful, go inside and warm up.

Signs and symptoms of frostbite include:

• A "pins and needles" sensation, followed by numbness
• Hard, pale, cold skin

Different Degrees of Frostbite

• First degree: ice crystals forming on top of your skin
• Second degree: your skin begins to feel warm, even though it is not yet defrosted.
• Third degree: your skin turns red, pale, or white.
• Fourth degree: pain lasts for more than a few hours, and you may see dark blue or black areas under the skin. See a doctor immediately if these symptoms arise. Gangrene is a real threat.

Bottom Line

If your skin is blue or gray, very swollen, blistered, or feels hard and numb even under the surface, go to a hospital immediately.  Otherwise get indoors or to a warm shelter ASAP. Take off any constricting jewelry (flesh may expand and rings are sometimes cut off a swollen finger). Take off wet clothing. Never rub or massage frostbitten skin, but do use your armpits or the body heat of a warm companion.

If possible, immerse the affected area of your body in warm -- NOT HOT -- water, or apply warm cloths to affected areas of your ears, nose, or cheeks for 20-30 minutes. Try to move the area of your body that is affected as little as possible to decrease doing additional damage.

You should not use hot water or a heating pad, heat lamp, hair dryer, or the heat from a stove, fireplace, or radiator to warm yourself. This because your frostbitten area may be numb and you won't be able to feel if you're overdoing the heat and burning yourself.

As you warm up your frostbitten skin will become red and swollen, and you'll feel like it's on fire. You may develop blisters. Don't break the blisters. It could cause scarring.

Carbon Monoxide

"It's a Gas! Gas! Gas!" - lyrics to Jumping Jack Flash

If you live in the New York City region, subscribe to Notify N.Y.C. at https://a858-nycnotify.nyc.gov/notifynyc/  Alerts and notices are available via email, SMS, phone, Twitter or RSS feed.

Registrants can select five notification types for up to five ZIP codes across NYC.

• Emergency Alerts – messages about life-threatening events that may require immediate action. All registrants are automatically added to this list.
• Significant Events Notifications – important information about emergency events, utility outages and other types of high-impact events in your ZIP code.
• Public Health Notifications – information about important public health issues in your community
• Public School Closing/Delay Advisories – updates about unscheduled public school closings, delays and early dismissals
• Unscheduled Parking Rules Suspensions – updates about unscheduled suspensions of citywide parking rules

Bottom Line

As an example, here is a NYC message from 12/17 ....

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reminds New Yorkers to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by clearing snow from exhaust pipes before starting car engines, avoid running cars in enclosed spaces, and clear snow from the vents of combustion appliances. Never heat your home with a stove or oven.

I should know better but it never occurred to me to check the exhaust pipe of my snow covered car after the blizzard last weekend.

Preparing for Winter

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow"

"With winter right around the corner, it's never too early to start preparing for snowstorms, icy roads, and other types of severe weather," says FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.  "Whether you live in an area that is used to severe winters or not, there are three simple steps all Americans should take to get ready: put together an emergency supply kit, develop a family communications plan, and stay informed about the risks and emergencies in your community." For helpful tips and recommendations see http://www.Ready.gov/america/beinformed/winter.html.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) outlook forecast is that the Pacific Northwest could have a colder and wetter than average winter, while the South may be warmer and drier than usual.  Severe winter weather can include snow or subfreezing temperatures, strong winds and ice or heavy rain storms.  An emergency supply kit both at home and in the car will help prepare people for winter power outages and icy or impassable roads.

According to FEMA, an emergency supply kit should include a three-day supply of food and water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and extra flashlights and batteries.  Thoroughly check and update your family's emergency supply kit and add the following supplies in preparation for winter weather:

• Ensure your home and car are prepared for the winter weather
• Buy rock salt to melt ice on walkways
• Buy sand (we use kitty litter) to improve traction on ice or snow when the car is stuck
• Purchase snow shovels and other snow removal equipment (keep a small shovel in your car trunk)
• Have adequate clothing and blankets to help keep you warm.
• Update your family preparedness plan and contacts list
• Test your family plan
• Learn about the emergency plans that have been established in your area by your state and local government and your children's schools

Bottom Line

Keep informed of weather alerts via TV, radio, email, blackberry, etc. Ensure that you follow at least one of these to get advance notice of the following winter hazards:

• Freezing Rain creates a coating of ice on roads and walkways.
• Sleet is rain that turns to ice pellets before reaching the ground. Sleet also causes roads to freeze and become slippery.
• Winter Weather Advisory means cold, ice and snow are expected.
• Winter Storm Watch means severe weather such as heavy snow or ice is possible in the next day or two.
• Winter Storm Warning means severe winter conditions have begun or will begin very soon.

Damaged Trees

"Even trees do not die without a groan"-Henry David Thoreau

Our big snow storm last month broke quite a few limbs off our trees. The biggest branch was about 8 inches across. One was so heavy it took both my wife and I to pull it off the street. We are thankful that none of them hit the house, our fence or our cars with full force. We did have several near misses of mere inches. There was some luck but also some fore planning. About a decade ago we paid an arborist to cut back limbs that hung over our house and driveway.

As we look up now we see several trees with cracked limbs or jagged scars. Sadly there is not much that an amateur can do about it - the shortest trees are 20' and much of the damage is 30, 40 or 50' up in the air. Our first bid from a professional is $1200 for repairs and cleanup.
What if the breaks are lower to the ground? How do you fix a free? Here are several informative articles on home tree repair from Land Grant Colleges:

University of Illinois Extension
University of Tennessee
Michigan State Extension (my school, yeah!)
Iowa State Extension

The Arbor Day Foundation has a guide to help determine when a tree is worth saving (or not).

Bottom Line

There are many opinions on tree repair involving glue, bolts, cables, limb removal, etc. It can be dangerous work. So be very careful or hire a professional.

Snow!

"Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery."-Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes cartoonist)

Last month my family experienced a snowstorm that dropped nearly two feet of wet, heavy snow and we had to shovel the driveway five times in 24 hours. Now, after the fact, I thought I’d look at the safety issues of snow removal.

Snow shoveling is NOT without risk. One study determined that after only two minutes of shoveling, sedentary men’s heart rates rose to levels higher than those normally recommended during aerobic exercise. Heart attacks are not uncommon. A middle-aged minister of our church died while shoveling some 20 years ago. Cold air makes it harder to work and breathe, which adds some extra strain on the body. There also is the risk for hypothermia, a decrease in body temperature, if one is not dressed correctly for the weather conditions. Shoveling improperly can also cause back strain.

Recommendations

• Avoid caffeine or nicotine before beginning (that is no smoking or coffee). These are stimulants, which may increase your heart rate and cause your blood vessels to constrict. This places extra stress on the heart.


• Dress in several layers so you can remove a layer as needed.


• Warm up your muscles before shoveling with some gentle stretches or walking about. Begin shoveling slowing until the heart and body are ready for a workout.


• Beware of extra-large shovel scoops that will cause more strain as you lift heavy loads. Smaller loads are safer.


• Bend from the knees (not the back) and tighten your stomach muscles as you lift the snow. Avoid twisting movements. Lift with your legs, not your back.


• Know the signs of a heart attack: chest pain, discomfort in other areas of the body, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness, nausea, or sweating.


• If snow is sticking to your shovel, spray it with shortening or vegetable oil.

Bottom Line

Take it slow and easy and pace yourself. Better to be a tortoise than a dead hare.

Resources

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/snow.htm

http://seasonal-home-maintenance.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_shovel_snow_safely_and_injuryfree

http://www.wikihow.com/Shovel-Snow

http://www.ehow.com/how_13048_shovel-snow.html

http://fitness.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_safely_shovel_snow

Sunburn

“Even if you've been fishing for 3 hours and haven't gotten anything except poison ivy and sunburn, you're still better off than the worm”

I’m not a summer person or a beach person because I do not tan easily. I burn.

Sunburn is caused by UV-radiation emitted by the sun. Since UV rays damage the DNA in skin cells, the body tries to defend itself by making the skin darker (i.e. tanning) to block or absorb the rays safely. UV related skin damage has been linked to skin cancer and doctors are seeing a cancer spike in tan-seeking youth.

Snow and light-colored sand reflect UV light and increase sunburn risk. In these situations, UV rays may reach exposed skin from both above and below. Even on cloudy days, UV radiation reaches the earth. [CDC] Injury can start within 30 minutes of exposure so always use an effective sunscreen with a SPF of at least 15. And don’t skimp on applying the sunscreen. Dermatologists prescribe the equivalent of a shot-glassful every single time you slather up-and a reslathering every two hours. Wear dark color clothes with a tight weave (ugh, heat!). Wear a hat and sunglasses to protect the eyes.

In an ironic twist, some recent research blames sunscreen for a rise in skin cancer. The argument goes like this: Sunscreen (SPF factor) blocks UV-B rays which cause sunburn and generate vitamin D in the body. Most sunscreens do not block UV-A rays which penetrate further and cause tanning and skin cancer and wrinkles. Hence many individuals, protected by sunscreen from burning, are staying out longer and overdosing on UV-A rays.

If, like me, you forget the sunscreen and get sunburned, here are some suggestions:

• take a cool (not cold) shower or bath immediately
• apply cool towels to the burn area for several hours to take away the heat
• symptoms usually start about 4 hours after sun exposure, worsen in 24-36 hours, and resolve in 3-5 days
• consume extra fluids for the next 2 or 3 days
• take ibuprofen, acetaminophen or (adults only) aspirin, if needed, to relieve the pain
• re-moisturize your skin with moisturizing cream, aloe, or 1% hydrocortisone cream (see Dr before using cream on children under age two).
• There is little you can do to stop skin from peeling after a sunburn-it is part of the healing process. Lotion may help relieve the itching.
• When you go out, cover the burned area with clothing so you don’t make it worse

When to visit a doctor for a sunburn:

• the skin blisters
• the pain is extreme or lasts more than two days
• your face swells
• the burn covers a large portion of the body (15%)
• you get a fever or chills
• you have a headache or feel faint
• you become dehydrated (dry eyes and mouth)
• your skin become infected

Bottom Line

Sunscreen is only a temporary protection from UVB rays. Most need to be reapplied every few hours and don’t skimp on the amount you use. Check the instructions.
Look for sunscreens with protection from UVA rays.

Snowstorm costs London $4.3 billion?

"We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language." Oscar Wilde (British author)

On Feb 1&2, eight inches of snow fell on London, England and the city came to a halt. Blizzard of anger follows London snowstorm

An estimated 6 million people skipped work Monday when the largest snowstorm to hit London in 18 years stopped bus and subway services, grounded airliners and hobbled businesses. ...Transportation officials, business leaders and local authorities accused one another of failing to prepare for the long-predicted storm that crippled Britain's transport network.

The economic cost in lost productivity is 3 billion pounds ($4.3 billion). How did the government justify it's lack of preparedness?

"We can't change nature and if nature does this to us we have a problem"

Many of the city's authorities simply didn't have enough snow plows and the day after the storm, 1,000 British schools remained closed.

Bottom Line

If your local officials are not prepared when trouble hits, don't reelect them! Government has became way too complacent and generous with our taxes. They give money to friendly business and organizations but fail to invest in the infrastructure to keep the public safe. Don't support officials who are not supporting you.

When your Car is Stuck in Snow

More winter driving advice from Popular Mechanics, Get a Car Unstuck When you’re stuck.

Don’t gun the engine to get out—the tires will only dig in deeper. Instead, straighten the steering wheel, then dig out as much sand, snow or mud from around the front or rear of the tires as you can, depending on the direction you want to go. Place a floor mat snugly under a portion of each drive wheel (if your vehicle is 4wd, position a mat under each wheel). Ease the vehicle onto the mats. If there’s a passenger, have him push the vehicle in the direction you want to go. Repeat the procedure as needed, slowly progressing in the direction of travel until the vehicle is free.

If you're really desparate,

”lower the tires’ air pressure by 10 to 15 psi or until the sidewall begins to bulge. This spreads out the footprint of the tire, helping the vehicle float over terrain. Drive slowly and air the tires back up as soon as possible.” —Ben Stewart, PM auto editor

Bottom Line

A few winters ago, I slide off the road near my house and the car became stuck in the snow. A policeman stopped and watched. Would he help push? No, not allowed to! But he could call for a tow truck. Fortunately I was right across the street from a volunter fire department - they pushed my car free. Since then I've learned to use the car floor mats for traction, I carry a small snow shovel in the car and a bag of kitty litter for traction.