Alaska
Paddlers' Safety PageWelcome to the new home of the Alaska
Paddlers' Safety Page
Foreword: I am making the
following outline available on the web as a service to interested
boaters. This is not a complete paddling safety guide in itself but was
intended as a set of topic suggestions for speakers at the annual Knik Canoers and Kayakers Paddling
Safety
Meeting. For those who may not know, Knik
Canoers and Kayakers is a non-profit
organization or club comprised of rafters, canoers and kayakers
(flatwater, whitewater, family and ocean boating). We meet once a month
and discuss club business, concerning boater access, conservation or
other topics pertinent to Alaska paddlers and usually have a
program with wonderful slides of all those great trips you'd love
to be on. We offer a variety of classes in the spring and have monthly
cookouts during the summer with lots of free food and fun. The next
Paddling
Safety Meeting will be held Thursday, April 10, 2008
at the
Z.J. Loussac Library, 3600 Denali Street, Anchorage, AK, in the Wilda
Marston Theatre from 7 PM to 9 PM. It is free and open
to
members and nonmembers alike! Sign-ups for any remaining spaces in
other
KCK
boating classes (Rafting, Canoeing, Inflatable Kayaking or
Sea-Kayaking) are available from 6:00PM to 6:50PM.
You must show up early if
interested in these, as they fill quickly. For more
information, visit the web site @ www.kck.org
or download the flyer in PDF format : KCK Paddling
Safety
2008 Flyer.
Requires
Apple Quicktime plugin. Available free from Apple @ http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
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Mac OS X
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Alaska Paddling
Safety I. Personal Equipment
A. Underwear
1. polypro, thermax or other synthetics
2. pile for cold weather E. Outerwear
C. Booties
1. neoprene socks
2. no waders or heavy boots in fast water
D. Additional clothing
1. pile or synthetic fleece
2. wool
1. wetsuit
2. splash pants / jacket
3. drysuit / drytop
F. Gloves
1. neoprene
2. poagies
3. kitchen gloves with polypro liner
G. Helmet
H. Life Vest
1. choosing type and amount of flotation
2. addition of crotch strap
3. whistle and knife
I. Rescue equipment
1. first aid kit
a. should include prescription medicines reqd. of any member
2. throw-bag
3. 200' poly rope
4. 3 caribiners and prusiks
5. 2 rescue pulleys
6. lightweight camp saw
J. Additional safety equipment
1. paddle float for sea-kayakers
2. hand bilge pump
3. signaling devices
a. hand flares
b. parachute or meteor flares
c. smoke
d. mirror
e. rescue flag
f. strobe
4. marine VHF radio
5. EPIRB
a. special precautions to prevent accidental activation
6. survival kit
a. worn inside fanny pack
b. compass
c. waterproof matches
d. fire starter
e. link saw
f. space blanket
g. tube tent
h. candy bars
II. Trip Planning
A. International scale of difficulty (class I-VI)
B. True assessment of skill levels of group members
C. Use of guide books
1. Alaska Paddling Guide , by Jack Mosby
2. The Alaska River Guide , by Karen Jettmar
3. Fast & Cold A Guide To Alaska Whitewater , by Andy Embick
4. The Kenai Canoe Trails, By Daniel Quick
5. books available for most other areas of U.S.
D. Topo or navigational maps
1. significance of gradient
2. landmarks
E. Stream flow and river gages
F. Accessibility of area
1. difficulties in transporting equipment
2. emergency rescue possibilities
G. Making allowances for bad weather
H. Wilderness travel etiquette
1. respecting private property
2. leaving a clean campsite
I. Leave detailed trip itinerary prior to departure
1. with person who will miss you and notify authorities
2. with appropriate land manager
III. Reading the Water and Boating Hazards
A. River right and river left
1. water is faster on outside of bends
B. Dynamics of moving water
1. drag created by riverbed and rolling motion produced
a. fastest water on surface & slowest on bottom
2. "V" shapes created on surface by shallow rocks
3. standing waves created by rocks
4. hydraulics or keepers
a. escape weaker hydraulics by working your way to the side and out
b. escape by diving to bottom and swimming out
C. Horizon line
D. Scouting rapids
1. universal hand signals
2. choosing a route
3. eddies and using them
4. setting throwbag personnel and or rescue boat
5. the decision to portage
E. Rivers in flood
1. increased danger beyond its normal difficulty rating
2. floating debris
F. Strainers and sweepers
G. Undercut banks
H. Ocean kayaking hazards
1. wind
2. waves
3. tides
4. currents
5. visibility
6. vessel traffic
IV. Defensive Swimming and Hypothermia
A. Swimming defensively in moving water
1. be sure to get behind boat
2. sitting position
3. face down stream
4. use legs and arms to fend off rocks etc.
5. lunge up onto strainers
6. be prepared for throw ropes
7. self rescue i.e. swim aggressively to shore
B. Surviving Cold Water Immersion (non moving water)
1. do not try to swim unless safety (shore) is extremely near
2. if unable to re-enter craft then pull as much of your body as possible up out of water
3. use available signaling device(s) to get attention of your group or others nearby
4. use whatever additional floatation is available
5. if alone then get into sitting position with legs crossed and arms held against chest
6. if in group then huddle
7. keep as much of head out of water as possible
8. keep all movement to a minimum to conserve heat while awaiting rescue
C. Hypothermia
1. what is hypothermia
2. recognizing signs
a. uncontrollable shivering
b. slurred speech
c. incoherent thought
d. loss of muscle coordination
e. drowsiness
f. unconsciousness
3. treatment
a. quickly but very gently move victim to safe dry area
b. if unconscious, check for pulse and breathing
c. begin CPR only if no pulse
* heartbeat of a deeply hypothermic victim may be weak and
spasmodic therefore unnecessary CPR could cause cardiac arrest
d. begin artificial respiration if necessary
e. remove wet clothing
f. get inside sleeping bag with victim
g. give warm fluids to drink
h. give high sugar food or drink
i. never give alcohol
4. prevention
a. dress appropriately
b. the importance of warm headgear
c. keep yourself well hydrated
d. keep your energy level up
e. being prepared
* carry spare dry clothing in drybag
* small stove & vessel to heat water
* candy bars or sugar cubes for quick energy
Below
you will find a list of related papers and articles in PDF form that
you can download, view and print out on your own printer.
You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin to view it in your
browser. After opening go under the file menu and save as source to
your hard drive. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, then you
may download it free of charge by clicking
here.
KCK
Interactive Membership Form (824kb)
KCK Paddling
Safety
2008 Flyer
Above KCK Paddling
Safety Outline
In PDF Format
Avoiding Hypothermia
Boat And Equipment
Preparedness
First
Aid For Cold Water Victims
Guide
For River Trip
Organizers
Hypothermia; The
Paddlers Cold War
International Scale
of River
Difficulty and Universal
River Signals
PFDs: The
Support
You Really Need!
Rapid
Resolution
Reading
The Water
River
Hazards
River
Safety Lecture
Guidelines
Sea
Kayaking
Readiness
State of Alaska Cold Injuries Guidelines
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