A paramedic shares how to spot hypothermia after death in downtown Ottawa

Following the discovery of a frozen body on Elgin Street, an expert gives lifesaving tips to identify warning signs and act before it’s too late.

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Published Jan 07, 2025  •  3 minute read

A homeless man sits in the snow on Elgin Street in downtown Ottawa. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Hypothermia occurs when the body’s core temperature drops below 35 C (95 F) from its normal 37 C (98.6 F). Untreated, it can lead to unconsciousness and eventually death.

While more common in winter, hypothermia can occur at any time of year, even during heatwaves, most commonly when someone is immersed in cold water. Most of the hypothermia cases Ottawa paramedics deal with are the result of people falling through the ice, as happened recently to two young people at Mooney’s Bay, said Marc-Antoine Deschamps, a public information officer with the Ottawa Paramedic Service.

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In the early hours of Jan. 6, a man was found in cardiac arrest on Elgin Street and taken to hospital where he was declared dead. Centretown Coun. Ariel Troster said on social media she was “devastated to find out that a man was found frozen to death.” Paramedics and the coroner’s office said a cause of death had yet to be determined.

With the cold weather here, these are some things you can look to spot the signs of hypothermia in yourself and others, and what you can do about it.

Symptoms of hypothermia

The first symptom of hypothermia is shivering, the body’s mechanism to warm itself. As the core temperature drops, shivering stops, and the person may have an altered level of consciousness.

“Those symptoms are not specific to hypothermia,” Deschamps said. “It could be low blood sugar. It could be an overdose. There’s a lot of things that mimic hypothermia. But if you think someone is in a medical emergency, call 911.”

Pay particular attention to vulnerable people such as the elderly and young children, who are at a higher risk, Deschamps said. “Kids might not even tell you if they’re cold.”

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If you’re just concerned about someone who is homeless or from the shelter community, you can call 311 and someone from the city will come to check on their wellbeing, he said,

Why prevention is key

The best thing to do for hypothermia is to avoid it in the first place.

“I can’t overemphasize how important prevention is,” Deschamps said. Wear clothing suitable for the weather, preferably in layers. And your mother was right: Wear a hat.

“We lose most of our heat through our heads, so wear a toque to keep your head warm,” he said.

Frostnip and the more serious frostbite are other common cold-weather injuries, although they rarely require emergency treatment, he said. Skin exposed to the cold will first turn red, and then white and waxy as the tissue freezes. The best treatment is to rewarm the area and avoid rubbing it, which can cause more damage to the tissue. Call Ontario Health Connect at 811 for advice on how to treat the injury, although severe frostbite might warrant a call to 911.

“Keep an eye on each other and if you see someone’s skin turning red or white and waxy, let them know and get them inside out of the cold,” he said.

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How to warm up

If you’re camping out deep in the woods of Gatineau Park, where help isn’t immediately available, you’ll have to be more self-reliant. If someone is hypothermic, wrap them in blankets or put them in a sleeping bag to keep them warm, and use a sleeping pad, if you have one, to insulate them from the ground.

Warm drinks can help, but avoid alcohol and caffeine: both dilate blood vessels and will only make the person colder. If treating frostbite, it’s important that the rewarmed area not be allowed to refreeze, which can cause even more damage to the tissue.

Rewarming someone with hypothermia too quickly can also be dangerous.

But that’s usually not a problem for someone out in the wilderness.

“It’s not good to rapidly rewarm someone. But if you’re in the woods, there’s no way to rapidly rewarm someone anyway,” Deschamps said. “That’s more an issue for paramedics or at the hospital. Just by putting more blankets on someone or putting them in a sleeping bag or on a sleeping mattress, that’s not a problem at all.

“Again, I can’t stress enough how important prevention is,” Deschamps said. “If you’re out in Gatineau Park, make sure you have the right equipment and are dressed appropriately. And if you’re getting cold, it’s time to head home.”

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