Cold Weather Operations: How to Handle the Cold Environment

Keeping a casualty warm becomes more complicated when evacuation takes hours or days, equipment is limited and the environment works against you.

In this session recorded at WEM24, Jorgen Melau draws on his experience as an Arctic rescue paramedic and researcher in cold weather operations to explore how the body responds to cold and what this means for patient care.

He examines temperature monitoring, casualty wrapping and the practical choices involved in preventing hypothermia. From sleeping bags and protective tarps to the limitations of foil blankets, the session encourages you to consider how equipment, training and evacuation times shape your approach. The discussion also explores cold-water immersion risks and emerging research into prolonged care in cold environments.

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Intended learning outcomes

By the end of this session, participants should be able to:

Explain the role of skin blood flow and shivering in maintaining body temperature during cold exposure.
Describe the challenges of measuring and interpreting core temperature in remote environments, including the limitations of different monitoring methods.
Identify the key components of a hypothermia prevention system, including insulation beneath the casualty, moisture management and protection from wind and water.
Discuss how available equipment and expected evacuation time influence casualty wrapping choices, particularly during prolonged field care.
Recognise the limitations of foil blankets as a standalone measure for preventing hypothermia.
Distinguish the immediate risks of cold-water immersion from the later development of hypothermia.