Water temperature which is below the victim's body tempterature contributes to heat loss which in turn contributes to the potential onset of hypothermia. In Massachusetts, waterfront areas tend to have cold water even at the warmest point of the summer. Stabilizing the victim in the water and waiting EMS in these situations may not be in the best interest of the victim. Time concerns are significant. In many areas of the nation, including Massachusetts, EMS response time can lag up to 30 mintues whether because of traffic or remote distances.
Time is always a factor in life-threatening emergencies, including spinal injuries.
Waiting for EMS only serves to futher and unnecessarily delay patient removal and transport. The sooner the patient with a spinal injury can get to a hospital capable of dealing with this sort of trauma the better. We must remember that the clock starts ticking from the moment of injury. As time elapses and the victim progresses into shock, breathing and circulatory functions could deteriorate, thus requiring a more rapid extrication from the water and risking further injury to the victim. Managing a victim in the water who vomits is problematic as in most instances lifeguards do not have suctioning devices available and, further, they are not trained in the usage of these devices.