San Marino firefighters use ice-filled bags for heatstroke treatment

SAN MARINO, Calif. (KABC) -- The San Marino Fire Department is using a new technique to treat people suffering from heat-related illnesses during the ongoing heat wave.

The approach involves placing heatstroke patients in large plastic bags and covering them with ice to rapidly lower their body temperature.

According to the department, paramedics carry the bags in their vehicles and can deploy them when responding to heatstroke emergencies. Firefighters demonstrated the process Thursday morning, showing how a patient is placed inside the bag before a cooler full of ice is poured onto the person's chest.

The goal is to reduce a patient's temperature as quickly as possible to help prevent organ damage and potentially save a life.

"During our morning checkouts, we keep a large cooler full of ice every morning," firefighter Andres Serrano said. "We make sure it's fully stocked, and that way, in the case of these specific days where it's reaching over 100 degrees every single day, dunking a patient in ice can actually save a life."

The department recently used the technique on a man who was found unconscious in his car earlier this week. Firefighters said his body temperature was just under 106 degrees when they arrived.

Paramedics placed the man in the bag, applied ice and transported him to a hospital. By the time he arrived, firefighters said he was awake and his body temperature had dropped to 99 degrees.