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.”
Beyond the cold temperatures, the natural terrain through which the border cuts is difficult to navigate and recognize.
“Somebody who's not familiar with the area, if they're out in an open field or in the woods in conditions like this — if they don't know the time of day, if they don't know [that] the sun rises in the east, sets in the west, et cetera, they have no idea which direction they're going.”
The presence of snow and winter storms exacerbate this problem.
“Any of us who live up here, we've driven in a blizzard, and visibility is 25 metres, [if that],” says Besecke, adding that travelling by foot in such a storm has a “high probability of ending up deadly.”
The EMTs in North Dakota employ an array of medical equipment to do their best to respond to emergency situations. Certain items are important for frigid rescue missions, including exposure suits for low temperatures and IV warmers.
“In this climate, having a warm IV . . . can have lifesaving effects — just warming the body up from the inside,” says Besecke.
In addition to being a U.S. Border Patrol Supervisory Agent, Besecke is also the coordinator of the Emergency Medical Program. In this role, he strives to find ways to keep the agency as prepared as possible for unexpected operations.
“I’m making it a point to get our providers the broadest expansive training possible,” he says. “I recently contacted . . . Life Care in Grand Forks to try to set up some training with their maternity mannequin to get my guys some training on women giving birth, especially in confined spaces like in the back of an ambulance or something.”
A wide breadth of knowledge is needed for the EMTs of North Dakota’s sector — they often work in remote areas as the only care providers.
“We have to initiate a lot of that care on scene in austere conditions and then get our patient out through the ambulance,” says Besecke.
Detecting heat sources
Beyond medical equipment, the Canadian and American border agencies also use specialized technology not only for rescue missions but also for preventing the need for them. One such asset is a surveillance vehicle with a periscope attached.
“Our technology over the last five years especially has really . . . been exponentially better. This [vehicle] allows us to control loss of visibility . . . for a much greater distance,” says Elsberry, who is the Border Patrol off-road vehicle coordinator in North Dakota. “We can work with our partner agencies as well. We can detect things and . . . provide locations [and] mapping.”
The vehicle, which regularly patrols the border, has a thermal camera. In winter, anything that gives off heat — including people — is easily detected.
The drone technology that the border agencies use is also equipped with thermal cameras. One example is the Teal 2 by Red Cat. It has a 40-minute flight time.
“We've had this similar type of drone deployed in the field for the last two years,” says Acting Supervisor Border Patrol Agent Chris Oliver. “We have made some apprehensions with it, and it's great as a patrol vehicle giving agents situational awareness in the field.”
Eyes in the skies
Drones with thermal cameras allow agents to get above difficult terrain to understand the situation.
“If you have bodies that go into, say, a cornfield or a bean field where they can lay down [in a place] you're not going to necessarily see them, you can get above them and . . . see them from the air,” says Oliver. “You're able to not only detect them and identify what that heat signature is, but you can classify whether it's going to be a danger to your agents in the field as well. That's the big thing with thermals — to have that high enough resolution where you can detect, identify and classify your targets.”
Using drones is not without its drawbacks. Oliver says that cold is difficult on the devices, so in winter, flight times are shortened. High winds also reduce their effectiveness. To address this gap, the border agency also has handheld thermals.
“This gives agents an amazing amount of situational awareness in the field. [It’s] similar to binoculars, but you’re able to use it in pitch black,” says Oliver. “Whenever one of these is not available, or you're in a position where your power consumption is an issue, we also have handheld thermal monoculars.”
Oliver says that thermal equipment goes a long way in detecting groups of people intending to cross the border illegally before they even begin their journey.
“If you do see somebody that's getting ready to cross and it's a situation where it’s dangerous or manpower slow or you can't get to them in order to turn them back, you can respond to that area,” he says. “You go high profile. You can turn on lights... It’s a good reason for them not to cross. They know they're going to get caught.”
Ultimately, all the technology that Canadian and American border agencies employ together functions to secure the border. In practice, though, it also serves an important role in preventing tragedy. While medical equipment helps those who have fallen into peril during illegal crossings, other devices can prevent these situations from developing in the first place.
With files from Candace Derksen