DVFF Outings & Wading Safety

This document is an explanation of the WADE SAFE & EMERGENCY CONTACT CARD which you carry with you. Make sure that you are familiar with its content prior to getting out on the water.

Before you go
Planning:

• Match the difficulty of your destination (remoteness/phone service/hiking/wading) to your personal fitness, medical risks, and wading experience.
• Check flow rates online.
• Notify others of your exact destination and plans. Call them when you are start your drive home.
• Consider the risks; consider how you’re preparing for them, and do not be afraid to cancel or modify the trip if you’re not prepared for the conditions.

Special considerations for cold weather trips:

• Make the trip shorter and at the warmest part of the day to help stay warm.
• Make sure you eat and drink while fishing. Calories and hydration keep you warm.
• Medications and medical conditions may affect how you respond to cold condition. Speak with your health care provider about your health and how it might affect your fishing trip in cold weather.

Equipment
Studded felt boots Attached wading staff Double belts (high and low, pulled tight) Polarized glasses Military/Coast-Guard-approved whistle clipped to your vest for easy access (not in a pocket) Fox 40 whistle is USCG approved. Survival or “space” blanket First aid kit in a small waterproof bag Have basic survival equipment, such as a knife, lighter, and necessary medications on your person	25-50 ft of throw rope in your vest Consider a walkie talkie A personal floatation device (PFD) in risky water situations. PFD is mandatory on DVFF boating outings. Make sure it is properly secured. (A CO2-activated PFD is a comfortable fit while fishing.) Drinking water and food In cold weather choose synthetic undergarments and avoid cotton. Wool gloves and cap are a good choice

Arriving at the water
Fish with a buddy and stay within eyesight of each other. Stay in touch periodically using the whistle system, (One blast = “Here I am.” Two Blasts = “Let’s meet up.” Three blasts = “Emergency, come now.”) with a meet up place and time or walkie talkies. It is difficult to hear above the rush of the water once on the river. Share a fishing plan, quitting time and meeting place before you get to the water planning your return route with your buddy. Know your limits, it’s best to err on the side of caution. Be wary in moving water if it is above knee-deep. Tighten your upper and lower wading belts. Wear a PFD in risky waters and scan the water for dangerous areas as you look for your fishing holes.

On the water
Assess the FLOW RATE OF WATER. Fast Flow; wade below the height of your knee, Medium Flow; Mid-thigh, Slow Flow; below the waist. Safety formula: Water depth (in feet) X flow rate (in feet per second) exceeds 8. To determine flow rate, toss in a twig where you will be standing and see how many feet it floats in one second. EXAMPLE: WATER DEPTH (4FT) x FLOW RATE (2.5FT) = 10. Avoid waters over 8. Choose runs that fit your situation. No fish is worth dying for.

Use of your wading staff for 3-point contact, only moving one point of contact at a time Maintain two points of contact at all times (two feet or one foot plus your staff). Test the depth of the water with your staff before you step. Watch for holes in the riverbed and step between, not on rocks. Turning around in fast water can be tricky. A recommended approach is to first anchor your staff. Normally the staff is best used beside or below you in the flow. Making turns pivoting upstream around your wading staff. Beware not let the current bend your knee, which in effect knocks you down into the water. Some information states to keep staff on the upstream side.

Note: Wading safety advice is controversial, with articles and on-line videos offering conflicting suggestions. Some of the advice is best suited for certain destinations or for individuals with certain physical abilities. But the bottom line is that it pays to think carefully about wading safety each time you set out to fish. Using boots that have felt/studs is best for traction in most situations. Look for slack water to stand in, which is found behind rocks.

Potentially dangerous situations

• Tail-waters below dams where flow rates may increase.
• Situations that may affect flow rates and depth are warm days with melting snow and rainy days. You may not be able to safely cross back over at the same place in the river at the end of the day.
• Be alert for boot-grabbing muck and gravel which may not offer traction. This often accumulates at the downstream side of islands. If you get your foot trapped between rocks and cannot get out, use your whistle to call your buddy. (3 times is an emergency). Untying your boot or cutting it off are other options.
• Extreme temperatures cause dehydration/hypothermia, resulting in muscle cramping and weakness.

If you fall in
STAY CALM, control your breathing. Rapid breathing is a reaction to panic and is normal and will pass in a few minutes. Wait for it to slow down. Once you’ve regained control of your breathing, you can focus on self-rescue and/or assisting others. As soon as possible after entering the water, take immediate steps for self-rescue. Prioritize what you need to do based on your situation and do the most important things first. (i.e.: Make sure your life jacket is snug. Signal for help by blowing your whistle 3 times for “EMERGENCY COME NOW!” Every second counts. (You can blow a whistle longer than you can call out and it is easier to hear over the rushing water). Try to swim/scramble back to shallow water right away. Don’t be afraid to toss your rod toward shore when you fall in so you can use your arms to swim, you’ll find your rod later. If you are approaching a fallen tree with branches in the water, one way to avoid being swept under and trapped is to orient yourself feet-first and push off.

Wearing a PFD can save your life. Get into a defensive river swimming position, on your back, nose and toes out of the water, feet floating downstream ahead of you on the surface.

Not wearing a PFD, swim out of the water with chest down, head pointed downstream and kicking towards slower water and/or the river’s bank.

Once at the rivers bank crawl out exiting slowly and don’t stand right away. You may need to empty water from your waders. Do so by lying on your back and raising each leg. Take some time to assess your condition once you are in a safe place or at the riverbank. Are you able to stand? Do you need to do anything else to help yourself?

Remember the 1-10-1 principle. In cold water, be prepared for one minute or more of cold shock response. You will notice a rapid breathing response. In the next ten minutes, take the most important survival step based on your individual situation. Finally, recognize that it will likely take an hour or more to become unconscious from hypothermia, so don’t give up on trying to self-rescue or rescue someone in the water. If you’re no longer able to swim, get in the Heat Escape Lessening Posture (HELP) position by drawing your knees up to your chest if you’re by yourself, or the HUDDLE position with your buddy. This is most effective in still water. Hypothermia quickly limits, then takes away your ability to move making fastening your PDF impossible.

If your fishing buddy falls in
STAY CALM. They may panic, so shout useful advice to them. (i.e.: take a breath, calling directional actions, toss your rod). Use your whistle to alert others nearby. If the person is stranded/injured, call 911 to involve professional rescuers. Know where there is cell service. Remember that jumping in to save someone may put your own life at risk. Better choices may include tossing a rope attached to a piece of wood or an empty cooler that can serve as a life preserver. A taller, stronger person may be able to help a shorter, weaker person return to shore or cross a river by linking elbows (not hands) and walking next to them. Safe techniques for water rescue: Reach - Throw - Row.

Most trout water can eventually cause hypothermia, so remove wet clothing and warm the victim ASAP by get the person wrapped in a survival, “space” blanket with another body next to them for warmth. If the victim is unconscious, perform CPR until help arrives. Cold water prolongs the time you can survive without oxygen, so don’t give up too soon.

Follow the 4 As of rescue

• Awareness. Recognize an emergency & take responsibility.
• Assessment. Make an informed judgement.
• Action. Develop a plan and affect the rescue.
• Aftercare. Give aid until medical help arrives.

Before you leave the fishing area: Make sure that all the group has returned from the water. Don’t leave anyone behind.

Congratulate yourself. If you have read and can remember the above wading advice, chances are you will avoid a potential risk associated with our sport. And you won’t have to figure out what to do in a panicky situation.

General information related to cold water
The United States Search and Rescue states that “Cold water robs the body's heat 32 times faster than cold air. If you should fall into the water, all efforts should be given to getting out of the water by the fastest means possible.”

The US Coast Guard states that “Victims of immersion hypothermia are two things; lucky to be alive; and fragile. Until everything is warmed back up – out of the water and dry is good enough – mobility comes later.” Do not encourage the victim to get up and move. Hypothermia may be what is keeping them alive. Get EMS help, transfer to ER.

Expected Survival Time in Cold Water
Water Temperature	Exhaustion or Unconsciousness in	Expected Survival Time
70–80° F (21–27° C)	3–12 hours	3 hours–Indefinitely
60–70° F (16–21° C)	2–7 hours	2–40 hours
50–60° F (10–16° C)	1–2 hours	1–6 hours
40–50° F (4–10° C)	30–60 minutes	1–3 hours
32.5–40° F (0–4° C)	15–30 minutes	30–90 minutes
<32° F (<0° C)	Under 15 minutes	Under 15–45 minutes

*Hypothermia is defined as a core body temperature below 95 degrees F.

• As a person’s body temperature cools down, they often say they feel cold, particularly that their hands and feet feel cold.
• If they continue to cool, victims begin to shiver and lose fine motor control (fingers).
• Hypothermia impairs judgment.
• With further cooling, shivering becomes more violent. Gross motor skills (swimming, crawling or walking) are lost. The combination of impaired judgment and decreased muscle function can cause the inability to swim or crawl to shore. Victims become disoriented and may only respond to painful stimulus. Eventually, victims become unconscious and shivering stops. Without flotation, unconscious victims will sink. (cold incapacitation)
• Ultimately, cooling leads to abnormal heart rhythms and death.
• If victims are not wearing a life jacket and have no other means of flotation, they will sink and drown once cold incapacitation occurs. Cold incapacitation can take an hour or more to occur in water 600 F or warmer. However, the colder the water is, the faster cold incapacitation develops. In 500 F water, cold incapacitation can develop in as little as 10 to 20 minutes.
• Cold incapacitation can occur after as little aa 10 to 20 minutes of immersion.

 

*Key Components for Safety

• The most important step is to wear your life jacket.
• Wear clothing and equipment appropriate for the conditions. Evaluate the conditions first, and then decide what you’ll need.
• consider the risks, consider how you’re preparing for them, and not be afraid to cancel or modify the trip if you’re not prepared for the conditions.
• Take shorter trips at the warmest part of the day to help stay warm.
• Fish in a group, there is someone to help you if something goes wrong.
• Make sure you eat and drink while fishing. Calories and hydration keep you warm.
• Medications and medical conditions may affect how you respond to cold condition. Speak with your health care provider about your health and how it might affect your fishing trip in cold weather.
• Have basic survival equipment, including signaling devices and rescue gear, on your person.
• Wear proper warm clothing designed for fishing. Proper clothing will increase your survival time and reduce your risk of developing cold shock, cold incapacitation and hypothermia should you end up in the water.
• Wear hats or hoods to keep your head warm. Fleece or wool hats.

*Cited from the US Coast Guard literature Recreational Boating Safety. March 2020

	1 MINUTE to CONTROL BREATHING
	10 MINUTES for MEANINGFUL MOVEMENT for SELF RESUCE
	1 HOUR before you LOSS CONCIOUSNESS
Information from New Zealand Water Safety

 

Sierra Rescue	Sacramento Area Rescue

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Have a great and SAFE trip.