Technologies that save: The strategy of Canada-US border agencies during the cold months

No one wants to think about the catastrophic effect that subzero temperatures can have on those who aren't properly equipped for the cold.

Even so, this conversation was at the forefront of an important "humanitarian" information session that took place on October 10th in Pembina, N.D.

Icy peril The border safety event was a multi-national effort between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) and the United States Border Patrol's Grand Forks Sector.

The meeting was proactive in nature. Because both agencies have noted a surge in instances of illegal crossings (and because the colder months are on the horizon), they joined forces to warn the public about the dangers of crossing the border illegally in winter. "When temperatures drop well below freezing, unprepared migrants are in peril and in desperate need of rescue," said Chief Patrol Agent Scott D. Garrett of the Grand Forks Sector. "It's critical that we emphasize the dangers of crossing the border illegally. One death is too many."

Far-reaching consequences The border agencies work together in their mission to secure the borders. Both the Canadian and American sides consider preventing injuries and death an important part of the job. To this end, in North Dakota, there are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) on scene for unexpected rescue missions related to illegal crossings.

"In the winter, we're going to see frostbite and hypothermia, which lead to other issues. Hypothermia can catalyze metabolic problems, cardiac problems, [and] can shut down organs," says U.S. Border Patrol Supervisory Agent Richard Besecke. "Cold also contributes to dehydration, so we'll have skin problems [and] heart problems."

Besecke, who has worked in border control for 23 years, says that the afflictions also show altered levels of consciousness and cognitive impairments. For children, the effects are compounded "dramatically," he says.

"Their bodies are able to compensate for a lot of issues longer, but once their bodies lose the ability to compensate, their conditions deteriorate much more rapidly than an adult's does," he says. "Working with pediatric patients can be terrifying at times because we are scrambling to get any kind of medical interventions in place and get them to a higher level of care as absolute quickly as possible."