Paris Fire Brigade Deploys Multiple Cooling Tubs at Maisons-Alfort Running Event

On May 24, 2026, around 12:00pm, the Paris Fire Brigade (BSPP) responded to multiple heat stroke cases at a running event in Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne. Several runners collapsed due to high ambient temperatures.

In a post published on their official X account (@PompiersParis), the BSPP stated that "rescue efforts focused on cooling the victims, through the deployment of several 'stretcher-tubs' on the scene."

This real-world incident illustrates exactly what international medical protocols have been recommending for years — and what field medical teams are increasingly putting into practice.

What are "stretcher-tubs"?

The term "brancard baignoire" (stretcher-tub) used by the BSPP refers to deployable emergency cooling tubs that allow full-body cold water immersion of a patient on site, immediately — before any transport.

This is the operational translation of the Cool First, Transport Second protocol — the gold standard in prehospital medicine for exertional heat stroke, validated by the SFAR, the ACSM and the International Olympic Committee.

The deployment of multiple tubs simultaneously at this incident reflects the reality of at-risk sporting events: exertional heat stroke can affect several runners at the same time, under the same environmental conditions. A single tub is not always sufficient.

Why cool on site rather than transport immediately?

The answer is physiological. When core temperature exceeds 40°C with neurological signs, every minute without effective cooling worsens brain, liver and kidney damage.

Cold water immersion cools at 0.35°C per minute — ten times faster than any alternative method (wet towels, misting, ice packs). Dr Douglas Casa of the Korey Stringer Institute has documented a 100% survival rate across 401 cases when cooling was initiated within the first 30 minutes.

Transporting a victim to hospital without first cooling them means losing this critical therapeutic window.

What this incident reveals about field equipment needs

The BSPP response at Maisons-Alfort illustrates two realities that event organisers and medical directors must integrate into their planning:

First, exertional heat stroke does not only occur at major international competitions. A local race on a hot day can generate multiple simultaneous victims. Cooling equipment must be anticipated for every summer sporting event, regardless of scale.

Second, the ability to rapidly deploy multiple tubs is operationally decisive. In this context, deployment speed and portability are not comfort criteria — they are medical criteria that determine the capacity to manage multiple victims simultaneously.

Scientific consensus is unanimous

The IOC consensus published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Hosokawa, Racinais et al., 2021) is explicit: sporting event organisers must ensure the availability of immersion tubs at every competition held in hot conditions.

The BSPP response at Maisons-Alfort, and the official communication that accompanied it, contribute to normalising this protocol among French field teams — and signal a broader shift in prehospital practice across Europe.

Kollder: built for situations like this

Kollder is the emergency cooling tub that deploys in under 30 seconds, by one person, with no infrastructure. It was designed precisely for situations like Maisons-Alfort: multiple potential victims, reduced team, no fixed infrastructure on site.

Its stainless steel frame and high-resistance liner enable immediate deployment and full-body immersion compliant with international protocols, with full patient access for all advanced medical procedures during cooling.

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Source: @PompiersParis, X post May 24, 2026. Protocols: SFAR, ACSM Expert Consensus Statement 2023, IOC BJSM 2021 (Hosokawa, Racinais et al.), Korey Stringer Institute.