It's getting so hot, EMTs are putting overheated people in iced body bags

Fri, 06/28/2024 - 13:29

A firefighter demonstrates a cold water immersion technique on a mannequin wrapped in a blue tarp — Phoenix Fire Captain John Prato demonstrates how emergency medical professionals can treat heat stroke with ice and a body bag.
Anita Snow/AP Photo

Medical professionals are turning body bags into cooling baths to treat heat-related illnesses.
Immersing patients in cold water quickly reduces body temperature and can prevent serious damage.
Fire trucks and ambulances in Phoenix now carry these immersion bags as standard equipment.

This summer, medical professionals will use body bags to save lives. They're turning them into portable cooling baths to treat people with heat-related illnesses.