IMMERSION SUITS - THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

It's cold, it's wet the weather is deteriorating and your only means of support is slipping away under your feet. The order has been given to abandon ship and the water does not look inviting.

Immediately a person is immersed in cold water, they gasp in shock and start to breathe rapidly as an automatic and uncontrollable response. This only lasts a minute or two, but if their head is not held above the water (for example by a lifejacket), they may not be able to stop themselves breathing water in and may drown.

For those who survive the cold shock, the next stage is the cooling of the muscles in the limbs, which comes on during the first 30 minutes in the water. This loss of strength can prevent the person from hanging on to an overturned boat, grasping a rescue line or operating equipment such as radios or signalling devices.

Hypothermia can set in within 30 minutes. The person starts to shiver in an attempt to produce more body heat, but if the cold is severe, their core temperature will nevertheless begin to drop. Death can occur at any stage of hypothermia, and even conscious survivors can collapse, become unconscious and die, after they have been rescued.

Wearing an immersion suit can make all the difference between life and death, because it keeps you warm. And, wearing an immersion suit in combination with a lifejacket can extend survival time by a considerable amount.

Immersion suits, also known as ‘survival suits’ and ‘abandonment suits’, are intended for use in ship evacuations, when rescue could be some time arriving. They are designed to save your life by providing insulation from the elements.

This training package highlights why is there a need for such suits, when to use them, how to put one on and how long it takes, as well as the care that must be taken in the suit's maintenance and storage.

The package will encourage seafarers to fully understand and appreciate a vital piece of equipment that could be a lifesaver.