(NORFOLK COUNTY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Norfolk County Detachment is issuing a warning to all citizens to stay away from open water at this time of the year. This warning comes in light of the high water levels reported across the region.
Extremely cold temperature and water can cause hypothermia. Warning signs include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech drowsiness, obvious exhaustion which may result in cardiac or respiratory arrest. Normal body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. Hypothermia begins to set in at 35.5 degrees Celsius.
In water 32.5 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, you might not survive more than 15-to-45 minutes. You’ll undergo shock within the first two minutes and some functional disability before 30 minutes, according to the US Coast Guard.
Parents and child-care providers need to ensure they talk to their children and teens about water safety and keep them away from open water this time of year. The OPP is reminding all boaters, that the waters temperatures of most bodies of open water are hovering just over the freezing temperatures.
The OPP is warning anyone considering boating to be extremely cautious and understand the dangers of the water. For those boating in this weather Immersion or Survival Suits should be worn along with all the other lifesaving equipment required by law at your disposal. “Don’t take unnecessary risks with your life, it’s as simple as ABC-Always Be Careful,†comments Constable Ed Sanchuk, Norfolk County OPP.