why does in accidents or disaster, the medical people will give blankets to victims that are silver? What does this silver blanket do?
In: 350
In addition to being reflective, they are nonporous, which helps stop the passage of air and keeps people warm. And they’re waterproof, which is often helpful.
A lot of good answers here about the blanket itself, but it’s also important to note that preventing hypothermia in trauma cases is extra important as it increases blood loss.
Exposure kills rapidly. People in accidents usually tend to have ripped clothes which increase their exposure to cold, and in many cases they will also have contact with fluids, which soak the remaining clothes and increase heat loss. Also in most scenarios the IV fluids will be at a much lower temperature than the core, meaning even more heat loss.
The silver blankets are simply a cheap, small, disposable way of treating or preventing hypothermia on scene. The technology involved can be searched further if wanted, but basically the material involved prevent heat loss with a much lower mass than with traditional blankets.
heat is light – shiny silver blankets reflect heat back onto the person. They’re basically people tinfoil
Ever since 2,100 BC when the risk of lycanthropy became understood it became standard practice to wrap injured people with silver blankets to protect the victims and the first responders. Without this practice civilization would quickly unravel.
In addition to someone who is physically cold from the weather or being wet- they are often used to mitigate shock which can make the core body temperature suddenly drop. Same with blood loss or major trauma.
It’s why when you see someone dying in movies they say they are cold.
The blanket is made of mylar. It reflects your body heat back toward you. This staves off hypothermia/shock. These blankets are lightweight and compact, meaning you can carry more than traditional clothes fibers. Additionally, they don’t absorb water, so they’re also a rain shield.
Mylar blanket is extremely good at reflecting the heat of the athlete back at them so helps to slow or stop shock and/or hypothermia
It’s a special material that provides wind and water resistance along with good insulation, and they are extremely lightweight, cheap to manufacture, and can be stored easily as the 6ft by 4ft blankets are stored in 1x3x2in packets.
This combo makes them incredibly useful for survival kits and medical emergencies. they aren’t used in “normal” situations because they are single-use and easy to rip.
As for why everyone gets a blanket – staying warm when injured is extremely important, especially to people in shock (a common response to emergencies).
So, further to this question: regarding silver emergency blankets, would there be any benefit in putting these down under carpet/hardwood etc, assuming you could tape them together along seams to provide a barrier, like poly? Always wondered.
Latest Answers