What should I do if I encounter someone with hypothermia?

Hypothermia is a condition in which the body temperature has dropped below 95 F.  In order to treat someone for hypothermia you need to be able to recognize the condition.  Signs and symptoms of hypothermia are shivering, cold blue skin, lowered heart rate, slow respiration, slurred speech, confusion, stiffness of the muscles, and cardiopulmonary arrest.  When treating someone for hypothermia your goal is to prevent cardiopulmonary arrest, raise the core temperature, and care for the person until they can be transported to a medical facility.  To do this you must remove the person from the cold environment, check the ABCs (airways, breathing, circulation), prevent further heat loss by removing any wet and constrictive clothing, and covering high heat loss areas, such as the core, head, neck, thorax, and groin.  Be sure to handle a person with hypothermia very carefully as there is usually a temperature drop before the body begins to warm up.  This is called afterdrop and the victim is at high risk of heart rhythm disturbances.  Moving the victim horizontally is crucial.