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Home Newspaper of Halton Hills Reverend recalled page 15 A look at 1978 pagel2 Insurance for single parents page 14 SECOND SECTION Fire shelter priorities Surviving cold weather needs planning By LORI OH Herald writer The key coping wilh being stranded in a snowstorm In the middle of a Canadian winter is to have some kind of plan before you go out Georgetown resident Bill Garrard says Mr Garrard as well being a photographer Is an expert on what it take to survive being stranded in a snowstorm for a few hours days or weeks Asnmcmbcrof the Armed Forces attached to a mobile artillery unit Mr Garrard spent a number of winters in Churchill Manl toba The men in addition to their regular duties were guinea pigs or military techniques and survival lech in the high arctic Mr Garrard has been involved in survival techniques for almost years It was not unusual to find someone by the side of the highway frozen to death the 18 years he spent in the west Mr Garrard said were too civilized and they their car would to function and would break down SURVIVAL EPISODES In survival episodes the survivors were required to submit a report on what had happened how they had react and to describe the entire episode so that lessons could be learned from it Investlga lions were carried out on episodes where the people involved failed to survive much as investigations arc carried out after plane crashes to find out what went wrong Mr Garrard said In the air force or with any kind of flying it is one of he areas where survival is a furious thing he said A plane leaves Dallas in the morning in the bright sun shine and by evening It in the high arctic having flown over the greatest imaginable variety of terrain in the mean The end product of all the thrashing about and hand wringing and brain cudgling Is a set of vague Ideas which ore applicable equally to being stuck beside the Highway Ml as they arc to the high arctic Mr Garrard said When survival episodes are reduced to the single most common factor Mr Garrard said whether its someone survived being stranded in the Sahara Desert the plains the high arctic a tropical country or in the middle of the ocean the one element they alt have in common is that the survivor Is a human being From that element Its a matter of deducing what it takes to keeping a human being alive in the terms of the basic physiological and then you hac to look at the environmental tors which a person can draw on to fill those requirements Mr Garrard said In survival training he said he first thing to start with Is Murphys Law that If will Mr Garrard referred back to the idea that poop are too civiliz ed in that expect their car to take them where they are going without breaking down they dont prepare for being stranded even for a short time of a few hours That mean adopt ing the method of Churchill wearing wind pants and a parka over a tuxedo he Most survival episodes begin with an accident A car breaks down or runs off the road Into the ditch or is struck by another car The first clement to consider in preparing to Mr Garrard said is some kind of first aid kit The next two elements and the order Is arguable he said are fire and shelter I- HIST PRIORITY From the aviation point or lew the first priority is signals or some form of communications to let people know where jou are Mr Garrard said In the case of a stranded motorist its as pie us tying a to the aerial or the car to people know heres someone there Whether or not a signal is a prime factor is a mutter of judgement he said If road conditions arc bad rescue people will be out on biles or other snow travelling looking for those who are stranded Once the car has stopped youre better off out of it Mr Garrard said Once It is off the heater is gone and not better than an Ice box Building a shelter serves a threefold purpose it keeps jou warm working around keeps you from and while youre doing something productive for your self you re not going to give up Mr Garrard said The next step is to build a fire Fire is an elementary part of this climate Mr Garrard said although we dont see It as much as we used to because Its kept locked in a furnace There are several ways to start a fire If you have the foresight o keep a box of wooden kitchen matches in the car Mr Garrard said matches arent much good in a high wind he said and lighters will work If they are kept warm Permanent matches which arc actually pieces of flint are available as arc safety matches Mr Garrard said safety matches are not the best to use because they require a fine abrasive surface for striking If the motorist has a lighter and matches he or she is better off using the lighter first because if he saves it and uses the matches first the lighter may dry up Even after fuel is gone however the lighter can be used to strike sparks which will Ig nite a handkerchief soaked in gasoline or absorbent cotton or gauze from a first aid kit Liquid gas lighters are good Mr Garrard said hut if they arc plasticcovered they must be kept warm He said he is not aware of the breaking point of the plastic in cold tempera lures but It could shatter Mr Garrard suggested starting wilh a small fire you can put out with two fingcrse and build It up from there The thing to remember is if you tear up some farmers ornamental fence or a tree or burn the scat covers in your car youll be there to argue with him or with the Insurance agent in Ihe mottling he said The second factor in those deaths on the prairies in the winter was alcohol Mr rard said Now Im not a member the Women s Chrislian Temp erance Union or anything like that Mr Garrard said but alcohol Is a bad idea In a survival situation for a mini of reasons A long range caution against taking i good stiff bell to keep you warm is that alcohol wastes water Mr Garrard said Hie dehydration will only happen over a period of a few days but it will happen The second big strike again alcohol Is that in small amounts It reduces the bodys sensitivity to the environment Nobody in good health and sober will freeze to death Mr Garrard said because you begin to shiver when you get cold and you wake up be cause youre cold Alcohol antihistamines tranquilizers hard drugs and any modd- modKylng drugs will Interfere with that response Youll wake up too Idte with a case of frostbite or you wont wake Up at all Mr Garrard said pointed out as well that alcohol has a law freezing point and can be very cold and still rtmaln liquid Taking a big gulp of that alcohol that has been sitting out in temper atures IS degress below zero Farenheit can cause patches of frostbite all the way down your throat into your stomach and create a dangerous loss of body heat One has to believe its the St Bernards and not the brandy they carry that keeps people warm Mr Garrard said After alt you get a big furry 150 to 175 pound dog to curl up to and hes pretty items which it would be a good idea to keep handy In the car in the way of clothing and equipment First Mr Garrard suggested get in the habit of keeping outdoor clothing In your car and get it out when you want to use it ENOUGH HEAT The human body Is capable of manufacturing enough heat to kill the person with heat stroke if It isnt given off in some way he said You must have equipment and clothing available to make use of that heat and manage it A sleeping bag err ably down filled and nyloncovered or a couple or extra blankets are handy and extra clothing could Include a pair of pants made from an old blanket to be put on over what youre wearing to keep you warm and dry Mr Garrard said Insulated gloves and boots and a parka with a hood you face are also good protection against the cold he said Mr Garrard said he carries a pair of snowmobile pants a bush pack with extra socks gloves pants and other such items and a bush parka with wire threaded through the hem of the hood so it can be twisted into any shape Next to down filled Items synthetics provide the best insulation although youll probably hear from the wool enthusiasts on that one Mr Garrard said He is opposed to the use of wool because he said it will eventually get wet and once It gets good and wet its very difficult to gel dry again What youre looking for is something that wont absorb For someone who is carrying a winter survival kit a snowmobile suit that fits you and half of somebody else is a good way to create a layer of warm air your body inside the suit Mr Garrard said He also recommended two pairs of mittens one fairly and the others a big pair again to capture a layer of warm air around the inside mittens The outer mittens should be loosefitting so that no matter how cold your hands are you can get them Into the mittens They dont even need thumbs said jusl big sacks to trap a layer of air Once you get wet the only answer Is to get dry he said Get into some kind of shelter out of the wind and if at all possible get Into some other clothing to give the wet clothes an opportunity to dry out GASOLINE SPILL Gasoline spilled on your clothing is the coldest thing imaginable Mr said and he advised taking a great deal of care with It If you use It to try to start fire A survival kit kept in the back of the car can be expen sive he said and some people dont want to tie up J 100 or in something that will slay in Ihc irunk of a car other hand keeping out door clothing and a couple of spare blankets in the back of car could save a lot of discomfort Mr Garrard said Any damn fool can be uncomfortable he said Food is the last thing on a list for a survival kit Mr Garrard said People can go without food for lengthy periods of lime without starving Water Is more Important over the long term but on a short term basis rood is valuable because it helps to keep the body generating heat The best foods to keep on hand in a car are things with lots of raisins and nuts like bars and oatmeal bars A big chunk of fruit and nut cake would be an thing to have along Mr Gar rard said Shortbread with a lot of butter and a little sugar is good too and the food is well scaled it will keep for Other tools Mr Garrard suggested keeping hand are a small axe and a ball of wine both of which would be very helpful In building a shelter If all else falls he suggested scoop a hole in a snow bank with the wind blowing across the door not Into It bringing in he cold or from the back drifting snow over the door Then make a fire put up a signal to let rescuers know youre there curl up in your down filled sleeping bag and Garrard said when the rescuers come by in the morning they find you Among some of the myths is that which says an overweight person will withstand cold for longer than a small person Mr Garrard said an over weight person would withstand starvation for longer but they would only a minor edge In staying alive In the cold A fit person has more of survival to a point he said although a finetuned athlete may well be using more energy to maintain mus cle tone We talk about this as survival but LaVerendryc a Canadian explorer in he 1700s was in survival condi tions from the lime he left Montreal Mr said And even in what passed for circumstances they that far removed from iving off the land ACTON WOMAN WINS AWARD IN GEORGETOWN CERAMICS CONTEST Catherine looks on as Harry Wilson Glass Art Colours In Toronto makes note on one of the pieces Mr Will on was one of judge In the tint annual Student of the Year competition at Georgetown Ceramics Friday evening Catherine who owns Georgetown Ceramics llh tor Nick or lb tJ I Bo Acta TO Judge