Phoenix Firefighters Use 118-Degree Ice Immersion Protocol to Save Heat-Stroke Victims
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14
Phoenix Firefighters Use 118-Degree Ice Immersion Protocol to Save Heat-Stroke Victims
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14
Summary
118-degree heat in Phoenix pushed firefighters and paramedics to use ice-bag immersion on patients with life-threatening heat stroke, a rapid-cooling method highlighted in a new New York Times documentary.
The film argues the protocol can save lives in real time and could be adopted more widely as extreme heat becomes more frequent and deadly.
Phoenix’s heat emergency is tied to broader pressures—especially homelessness and substance use disorders—that leave vulnerable residents more exposed to severe illness and death.
The documentary frames the treatment as a stopgap, with climate change turning extreme heat into a persistent urban threat rather than an isolated weather event.