Oklahoma summers combine triple-digit heat with humidity that keeps the heat index climbing long after sunset. According to a recent KFOR report, Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD) transport crews are now among the first in the state to carry cold water immersion (CWI) equipment for heat emergencies, moving the department's response in line with the national "cool first, transport second" standard.

Why this matters for a transport crew specifically

Most fire departments that adopt CWI start with suppression crews cooling firefighters after structural fires. Extending the same capability to transport crews is a different problem: a transport unit's job is to move a patient to definitive care as fast as possible, and for almost every emergency, speed to the hospital is exactly the right instinct. Exertional heat stroke (EHS) is the exception. When core temperature exceeds 104°F with altered mental status, the data is unambiguous that beginning aggressive cooling on scene, before transport, produces better outcomes than rapid transport alone.

The clinical case OKCFD crews are responding to

The ACSM 2023 Expert Consensus Statement identifies cold water immersion as the gold-standard treatment for EHS, with cooling rates around 0.35°C per minute, roughly ten times faster than wet towels or ice packs. The Korey Stringer Institute, led by Dr. Douglas Casa at UConn, has documented a 100% survival rate across more than 401 EHS cases when core temperature was brought below 40°C within 30 minutes of collapse. For a transport crew, that means the highest-value intervention often happens before the ambulance moves, not during the ride.

The equipment gap most departments still face

Carrying that capability on a transport unit is harder than it sounds. Rigid tubs are bulky for compartment space already crowded with airway kits and monitors, and improvised solutions (kiddie pools, tarps, coolers of ice water) are slow to set up and inconsistent between crews. This is the exact operational barrier that keeps CWI equipment off many trucks even when the medical case is settled.

Where Kollder fits

Kollder One™ was built specifically for this gap: a stainless steel immersion tub that one person deploys in under 2 minutes, packs down to 85×10×10 cm at 11.1 kg, and gives full 360° access to the patient for airway and vitals monitoring throughout cooling, something closed-bag systems cannot offer. For a transport crew working against the clock, that combination of speed and unrestricted patient access is what turns a protocol on paper into a capability that actually rides on every call.

Departments evaluating equipment for this exact scenario can review the specification and request a quote at kollder.com/#contact.

Pour aller plus loin / Further Reading

Sources: KFOR News 4, "OKCFD transport crews first to use cold water immersions during heat emergencies"; ACSM Expert Consensus Statement 2023; Casa DJ et al., Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews 2007; Korey Stringer Institute, University of Connecticut.

Kollder is the emergency cooling tub that deploys in under 2 minutes, anywhere.

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