High Desert, low temps: Cold day’s work poses risks

Sub-freezing temperatures in Central Oregon mean those who work outside need to bundle up and use their own personal methods to stay warm and safe.

“I have about four layers on right now. Lot’s of socks,” Payton Gress, a gas station attendant at Shell in Bend, said Wednesdasy.

“Wearing long johns and moving a lot,” said Cory Brown, a gas station attendant at Chevron in Bend.

The cold weather can be deadly.

“There are two major problems we see in the winter. It’s hypothermia and frostbite,” said Dr. Cornelius Peeples, an ER physician at St. Charles Bend.

Peeples said every year, they see numerous cases of hypothermia.

“Hypothermia is much more common, and it’s actually a concerning thing when it’s a little warmer than this, because people think that they’re fine,” Peeples added.

Symptoms include:

* shivering
* fatigue
* loss of coordination
* confusion and disorientation

If you experience any of these, make sure you move to a warm room, remove wet clothing and warm the center of the body first, which is the head, chest and neck.

Many people get frost nip before they get frostbite.

“They get bright red skin, and it stings and hurts a lot,” Peeples said.

Peeples said as long as it hurts, you are OK, but it does mean frostbite is around the corner.

Watch for:
* tingling
* stinging
* bluish or pale skin
* waxy skin

Do not walk on frostbitten feet or toes, as this increases the damage. Cover the affected area in warm – not hot – water.

The best way to keep warm? It’s all about layers.

“A base layer, an isolation layer and, especially when the wind is blowing, a shell layer,” said Peeples.

“This is all I wear tonight,” Brown said. “I was in 12 degrees last night and I was just fine.”