Does covering a person injured in a road accident with a thermal insulation blanket with the golden side up protect him from heat loss?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
YES
Explanation
In the photo you can see a first aid kit with a packed thermal insulation blanket, which is a thin foil with one gold side and one silver side. Covering the casualty with the blanket gold side up protects them from heat loss - the silver side then lies against the body and reflects its heat back. The answer is: yes.
The State Emergency Medical Services Act places on a witness of an incident the duty to notify the emergency services, and the Criminal Code punishes failure to give help; until the rescuers arrive, caring for the casualty also includes protecting them from getting cold. A person after an accident, especially one in shock or bleeding, loses heat very quickly, even in summer, and getting cold worsens blood clotting and the chances of survival. You spread the foil with the silver side towards the body to keep the heat in, and the gold side outwards; the other way round, with the gold side towards the body, it is used when you want to protect someone from overheating in hot weather. You wrap the blanket around the casualty, also putting it under their back, because the cold ground takes heat away the fastest.
Legal basis: Art. 4 of the State Emergency Medical Services Act; Art. 162 of the Criminal Code