Fighting Fire With Ice: Collaborating to Treat Heat Stroke

Michelle Guadnola, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC 
Natalie M. Francis, BSN, RN, CEN
Maki Lloyd, BA, EMT-P

Over the last decade the number of heat-related deaths in Arizona's Maricopa County, has steadily risen, with a 52% increase between 2022 and 2023, targeting vulnerable populations (Maricopa County Department of Health, 2023). In 2023, 45% of patients with heat-related deaths were homeless, 64% involved drugs and/or alcohol, and 25% of hyperthermic patients had a history of a mental health disorder. Notably, only 6% of heat-related deaths in 2023 occurred from an outdoor sporting activity.

The Phoenix Fire Department (PFD) is the primary emergency medical responder for heat-related emergency calls in Maricopa County and therefore is positioned to initiate the earliest life-saving interventions and ultimately improve patient outcomes. The PFD is the sixth busiest fire department in the nation and the largest fire department in Arizona, with more than 1,800 members and 59 fire stations. It receives more than 240,000 calls each year and this call volume is steadily climbing each year. This article describes how the PFD and three urban hospitals have collaborated to improve patient outcomes for hyperthermia patients.