Safety Comes First
Box 4520, Milton FL 32572; E-mail: [email protected]
As the year comes to a close and winter looms around the corner, modelers in the tropics are getting ready for seasonal changes by purchasing additional sunscreen and planning outdoor get-togethers (we should all be this lucky). Southerners pull out warmer clothes, and modelers in the North either store gear until spring or strap on snow skis and bottle hot chocolate.
Regardless of where you happen to be this time of year, weather can be unpredictable and sometimes dangerous. Three weather elements that affect Radio Control (RC) flying this time of year come to mind: lightning, hypothermia, and frostbite.
Lightning
Summer flying is still fresh in your mind, so lightning may be at the top of your list of concerns. Although summer has gone by and you didn’t get “hit,” don’t let cooler days make you drop your guard. Passing cold fronts can trigger severe storms, and lightning can still be a danger.
“So what?” you say; you know everything there is to know about lightning. Maybe yes, maybe no. Perhaps you already know the answers to the following questions.
- Is it safe to fly when you hear thunder in the distance?
- Will I be safe under a shelter or tent?
- Is it safe in my car or clubhouse?
- The storm just passed, so is it okay to fly?
Observations from Richard Kithil, chief executive officer and founder of the National Lightning Safety Institute (www.lightningsafety.com) in Louisville, CO, will help remove fiction from fact.
“Here in Colorado, we have been reading recent newspaper articles elsewhere about lightning casualty incidents. In the name of safety, we offer a few observations about the lightning problem.
“First, some general comments about lightning. It has its own agenda. It is entirely capricious, random, and unpredictable. Man’s attempts to fit lightning into a convenient box, with codes and standards to describe its behavior, are a best guess.
“The system of conventional lightning rods as commonly employed does represent the best method for providing a preferred pathway to ground.
“Second, lightning safety for group or large-scale outdoor events is very difficult—maybe impossible—to accomplish. Injuries at a June 1998 rock concert at RFK (Robert F. Kennedy) Stadium in Baltimore are a good example. Some 35,000 people were there. Lightning rods were there. Still, some 13 people were badly injured by incoming lightning.
“In July 1998 in Las Vegas, NV, five firefighters were injured when lightning struck their fire truck. At a soccer match in the Republic of the Congo (October 1998), 11 members of the team were killed by lightning.
“Third, myths about lightning persist:
- 'Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.' (It hits the Empire State Building about 25 times a year.)
- 'Lightning never travels more than a few inches.' (It has traveled miles through space; a few inches of rubber mean nothing at all.)
- 'Lightning can be prevented.' (unconfirmed/sheer advertising)
- 'Home appliances are safe from lightning.' (unconfirmed/sheer advertising)
“So how to achieve lightning safety? It is a personal decision. Your decision: at the first sign of lightning or thunder, seek shelter. Good shelters are substantial buildings or fully enclosed metal vehicles.
“We suggest you remain in the shelter for 30 minutes after the last observed thunder or lightning. ‘If you can hear it, clear it; if you can see it, flee it.’”
Hypothermia
Unless you live in the South or in the tropics, you probably won't have to worry about a thunderstorm in the winter, so what should you be concerned about? I'll start with a few questions.
- What is hypothermia?
- How do I prevent it?
- What types of clothing help reduce the potential for cold injuries?
- How do I recognize the onset of hypothermia?
- What should I do if I become a casualty to cold?
When most people think about hypothermia, they envision someone stuck in a bad winter storm. Although winter storms provide the greatest degree of risk, hypothermia can occur when it's simply wet, windy, and temperatures are 50–60°F. Infants and the elderly can be affected by temperatures higher than 60°F.
So what are the facts? Donna Reynolds of the Georgia Farm Safety Bureau safety program provides the following:
- “Hypothermia develops when a person gets so chilled that his or her body is unable to warm up, and his or her natural defenses against cooling start to fail. The chilling conditions of hypothermia set in when the body loses heat faster than it retains heat. People who are outside for hours at a time are the most susceptible to hypothermia.
- Contact with water can bring hypothermia on even faster, because water cools your body temperature 25 to 30 times faster than air. If you are drenched from rain, you will lose body heat faster than you would under dry conditions.
- If you have to be outside in wet conditions, you should try to dress appropriately. Proper clothing includes rain gear, gloves, sturdy boots, and headgear. Cotton loses its ability to insulate when it gets wet, but wool keeps its insulating properties and helps keep you warm.
- About half of your body heat escapes through your head, so wearing a hat can slow down that process.”
Frostbite
Last, but not least, are a few words regarding frostbite.
The University of Rochester University Health Service defines frostbite as a thermal injury to the skin that results from prolonged exposure to moderate cold or brief exposure to extreme cold.
When skin is exposed to the cold, blood vessels in the skin constrict. As a result of decreased blood flow, fluid in and around skin cells develops ice crystals, which causes frostbite to occur. Areas of the body most prone to frostbite are fingers, toes, hands, feet, nose, ears, and cheeks.
Signs and symptoms of frostbite vary depending on the severity of the case, but a person may experience:
- Pain in the affected area
- Numbness
- A prickly sensation
- Firm, whitened skin areas
- Peeling or blistering
- Itching
- Swelling
- Mottled skin (blotchy, red and white)
- Hard, glossy, grayish or yellow skin
Treatment of frostbite will depend on the severity of skin damage. Hospitalization may be necessary in some severe cases.
Prevention is the key to avoiding frostbite and its recurrence. Ways to avoid frostbite injury are:
- Do not go outdoors for prolonged periods in severely cold weather.
- Cover vulnerable body parts such as cheeks and nose with a scarf.
- Wear loose-fitting, warm, layered clothing when out in the cold.
- Avoid caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol when going out in the cold, as these leave the skin more prone to thermal injury.
- Change any wet clothing immediately.
- Check skin every 10–20 minutes for signs of frostbite.
- Wear mittens instead of gloves.
- Wear wool or insulated-type socks.
- Wear a hat and scarf to cover ears.
If you think you have frostbite, move indoors to a warm environment as soon as possible. Do not rub the affected area, as this can cause further damage because of the presence of ice crystals in the skin cells.
Gently rewarm the affected body part by placing it against a warm body part (such as placing hands under arms) or warming with lukewarm water or warm blankets. See your health-care provider for evaluation as soon as possible.
That's it for this month. When you're flying this winter, remember to keep warm and dry, cover exposed skin, and drink plenty of warm fluids!
Above all, have a good time! MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
