QUESTION: How to help in case of frostbite?

When providing first aid to a person with signs of frostbite, every minute counts, so you need to act carefully but effectively. First of all, you must move the victim to a warm room as quickly as possible to stop the further drop in body temperature and stop the effects of cold and wind.

Immediately after moving indoors, you should carefully remove all cold, damp, or frozen clothing and shoes from the person, as they continue to hold the cold and interfere with normal blood circulation. If clothing is frozen to the skin, you must not tear it off by force to avoid worsening the injury; it is better to carefully cut around the damaged area.

Next, you need to begin gradually warming the affected body areas using baths with water at a comfortable temperature of about 37-39 degrees. It is important to increase the water temperature very smoothly, under no circumstances using hot water, radiators, or heaters, to avoid causing shock and death of the cold-damaged tissues.

It is strictly forbidden to rub frostbitten areas with snow, alcohol, or coarse woolen fabrics, since ice crystals can injure the skin and introduce infection into microcracks. After warming, it is recommended to wrap the victim in warm, dry blankets and give them plenty of warm, but not scalding tea to restore water balance.