Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht (right) and colleague Michael Clark emerge from the rear window of a Mercury Sable as it sinks into the Red River.

He’s no stranger to cold water – or cramped, confined spaces.

So it wasn’t much of a stretch for the University of Manitoba’s Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht – a world-renowned expert on cold water physiology and survival techniques – to take to the frigid waters of the Red River yesterday, where he demonstrated how best to escape from a vehicle that’s sinking or submerged.

The morning demo, in which Giesbrecht and colleague Michael Clark (host of CJOB’s The Road Trip) freed themselves from a water-logged Mercury Sable that had been rolled down the boat launch at St. Vital Park, was staged to debunk certain widely-circulated myths surrounding the best course of action in such an event.

“The common misconception is that you need to allow the vehicle to fill up with water before you try to get through the door, as opposed to just getting out through the window as fast as you can,” says Giesbrecht, whose past experiences with cold water research have earned him the nickname Professor Popsicle. 

“But with every second that goes by, your chance of surviving decreases.”

So while it’s true that a submerged vehicle must first be filled with water in order for pressure to be equalized (and for doors to be opened), Giesbrecht ­– a professor with the U of M’s Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management – says it’s a much safer bet to simply go through the window.

“What people don’t realize is that the vehicle will float for up to one minute before the water gets to the bottom of the side window,” he explains. “So if you can get the window open or break it before that time, you’re literally just going out and down into the water – escape is that simple.”

Since most car windows can’t be easily kicked out (as evinced by one volunteer’s inability to do so at yesterday’s demo), Giesbrecht instead recommends carrying a keychain-sized centre-punch in your vehicle at all times.

Once an escape route has been cleared, Giesbrecht recommends adhering to the following four-point-strategy.

“Remember: seatbelts, children, windows and out,” says Giesbrecht.

“Undo your seatbelts immediately. If there are children in the car, get them free of their restraints and beside you. Get the window open or break it, whatever it takes. And then get out as fast as you can.”

Giesbrecht also says it’s imperative that those trapped in sinking vehicles don’t waste time reaching for their cell phones.

“Your best period of opportunity for escape is a one-minute window at the beginning of the incident,” he says. “If you make a phone call, two things happen. One is that you use up that minute, and even then, what you’re calling for can’t naturally happen, since there’s no response system anywhere that can get to you in a minute.”

Giesbrecht’s advice is especially timely in light of a recent tragedy involving three university students (one of them from Brandon), who drowned after becoming trapped in a Jeep that plunged into a pond in North Dakota.

Each year in Canada, 6% to 10% of all drowning deaths take place in vehicles (an estimated 30 to 40 people annually) take place in vehicles, Giesbrecht says, making it especially important that people are aware of procedures that could save their lives.

“I just did a survey of 150 of my students, and 60% of them said they would do something that would probably kill them,” he says.

“Fully 40% said (they would) let the vehicle fill with water. Of course, by the time that happens, you’re already underwater, too.”

Made possible with help from the Winnipeg Parks and Open Spaces, Police Service, Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Service, and support divers from the Civilian Aquatic Search Team, Giesbrecht’s demonstration will be part of a pending instructional DVD that falls under the umbrella of Operation ALIVE (Automobile submersion: Lessons In Vehicle Escape).

For more information on the project, see http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/kinrec/media/VehicleSubmersionCARSP06.pdf