Winter Driving in the County of Forty Mile: First Aid for Collisions, Cold and Getting Stranded

Posted on October 29, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

• Between Bow Island, Foremost and Manyberries, winter roads can turn a quick trip into a
long wait for help. Here is how to prepare, and what to do if it happens.

By Godwin Orilua

Anyone who drives the County of Forty Mile in winter knows how quickly conditions can change. A clear morning on Highway 3 can become a ground blizzard by afternoon. A chinook can melt the snow, then leave black ice behind on Highway 61, the Red Coat Trail, when temperatures drop again overnight. The county maintains thousands of kilometres of roads, and on many of them you might wait a long time for the next vehicle, let alone an ambulance or tow truck. The advice below draws on the cold-weather skills taught at C2C First Aid Calgary, part of Coast2Coast First Aid, adapted for the roads of the County of Forty Mile.

Distance to care adds another layer. Bow Island Health Centre’s emergency department has been running on reduced hours, and Alberta Health Services lists Taber Health Centre and Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, each about 57 kilometres away, as the nearest alternatives. Hours can change, so check the AHS website before you need it, and always call 911 in an emergency. Either way, the message is the same: on winter roads in our county, the first person to help may well be you.

Before you leave town

Check road reports on 511 Alberta and the forecast for your whole route, not just where you start.

Tell someone your route and when you expect to arrive, especially on trips south toward Etzikom, Orion or Manyberries.

Keep your fuel tank at least half full. Fuel is your heat source if you get stuck.

Dress for the walk, not just the drive. Running shoes and a light jacket in the truck leave you one breakdown away from trouble.

Charge your phone and keep a charging cable in the vehicle.

The winter vehicle kit

The Alberta Motor Association recommends that drivers carry a sleeping bag, a phone charger, a spare parka and boots, warm gloves and food. Add a small shovel, sand or cat litter for traction, a flashlight, a candle in a deep can with matches, a first aid kit, an emergency blanket and a bright cloth to signal for help. Keep it in the cab if you can, in case the box or trunk is buried.

If you slide off the road or get stranded

The most important rule is simple: stay with your vehicle. It shelters you from the wind and makes you much easier to find. Cold-weather survival expert Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, quoted by AMA, puts it plainly: “Don’t ever leave your vehicle.” He also notes that the vast majority of searches succeed within 24 hours.

Call 911 if anyone is hurt or you are in danger. Give your highway number, the nearest crossroad or kilometre marker and your direction of travel, such as “Highway 61, east of Foremost, heading toward Etzikom.”

Turn on your hazard lights, and tie a bright cloth to the antenna or door.

Clear snow from the exhaust pipe before running the engine, and check it often. A blocked tailpipe can push carbon monoxide into the cab.

Run the engine only for short periods for heat, with a window open slightly.

Move your arms and legs to keep blood flowing, and put on every extra layer you have.

Carbon monoxide has no smell or colour. If anyone develops a headache, dizziness, nausea or unusual sleepiness, turn off the engine, get fresh air and call 911.

Coming across a collision

With Highway 3 twinning work underway between Taber and Burdett, traffic patterns are changing, and winter adds ice and blowing snow to the mix. If you are first on the scene of a crash:

Park well off the road, ahead of the collision if possible, with hazard lights on. Watch for traffic sliding on the same ice.

Call 911 and give your exact location.

Turn off the engines of the vehicles involved if you can safely reach them.

Do not move injured people unless they are in immediate danger, such as from fire or oncoming traffic. Ask anyone who is awake to stay still, and support their head in line with their body.

Control severe bleeding with firm, direct pressure.

If someone is not breathing normally, start CPR if they can be safely reached and positioned.

Cold is one of the most overlooked dangers at a winter crash. Injured people lose heat fast, and hypothermia makes bleeding and shock worse. Put a blanket, coat or sleeping bag under and over them, cover their head and block the wind.

Recognizing and treating hypothermia

Health Canada describes hypothermia in stages. Early on, a person shivers and has numb hands. As it worsens, shivering becomes strong, movements slow and they become confused, with blue lips or fingers. In the most serious stage, shivering stops and speech and walking become impaired.

Call 911 for anything beyond mild shivering.

Get the person out of the wind, such as into a running vehicle with a clear exhaust.

Replace wet clothing with dry layers and warm them gradually.

If they are alert, give warm, sweet drinks. No alcohol.

If they are unresponsive, handle them gently and lay them flat.

Recognizing and treating frostbite

Exposed skin can freeze in minutes in a prairie wind. Mild frostbite makes skin look yellowish or white while it is still soft. Severe frostbite can cause numbness, blisters and darkened skin.

Warm the area gradually with body heat, blankets or water just above body temperature.

Do not rub, massage or shake frozen skin. Health Canada warns this causes more damage.

Do not rewarm a frozen area if it might freeze again before you reach shelter.

Severe frostbite needs medical care.

The bottom line

In the County of Forty Mile, winter driving means being ready to look after yourself and others for longer than you might expect. Check conditions, carry a real kit, stay with your vehicle, keep the exhaust clear and know the signs of cold injury. Hands-on practice in a first aid course makes these steps automatic. Courses from Coast2Coast First Aid & Aquatics cover cold injuries, collisions and CPR in a single day.

Godwin Orilua is a safety and first aid content specialist at Coast2Coast First Aid & Aquatics.