Death by avalanche quicker in Canada
Pascal Haegeli (currently in Europe, available via email at pascal@avisualanche.ca, or Skype address pascal.haegeli
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
Avalanche victims buried in Canada die significantly faster thank those buried in Switzerland, according to the latest study of avalanche fatalities co-authored by Simon Fraser University researcher Pascal Haegeli.
The study, published March 21 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, examines survival data collected by the Canada Avalanche Centre and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research in Switzerland between 1980 and 2005. The study included 301 Canadian and 946 Swiss subjects who were completely buried in avalanches.
Researchers found that those buried in avalanches in Canada die sooner. The lower survival rates immediately after being buried were affected by a higher prevalence of trauma and denser Canadian snow climates, associated with an earlier onset of asphyxia among avalanche victims.
Haegeli and his colleagues found that limited clinical skills and transportation time to advanced medical facilities worsen the effects of prolonged burials.
The study was undertaken to better understand factors affecting survival in avalanches and to help improve rescue, resuscitation and safety protocols nationally and globally.
While the available time for the likelihood of a successful rescue has previously been described as the first 18 minutes, Haegeli says that 10 minutes might be a more realistic guideline in the Canadian context.
“These results highlight the importance of prompt companion rescue, especially in areas with a more maritime and therefore denser snow climate,” says Haegeli, an adjunct professor in SFU’s School of Resource and Environmental Management.
“In the roughly 10 minutes you have available, you need to organize your group, find the victims and dig them out. This is not a lot of time and you need to be very effective to get this all done as fast as possible.“It’s crucial that recreationists practice locating avalanche victims with an avalanche beacon and know how to shovel snow efficiently. “
Haegeli says the use of avalanche airbags to prevent burial and avalanche transceivers to speed up the location of buried avalanche victims are crucial for recreationists, particularly those heading into the backcountry.
“However, the best way to survive an avalanche is not getting in one in the first place,” he says. “An emphasis on education and avoidance remains paramount for promoting safety in avalanche terrain.”
Haegeli is co-author of Avalanche Accidents in Canada, 1996 – 2007, published earlier this year to help outdoor enthusiasts better to understand these recreational tragedies and avoid experiencing them.
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