Emergency cooling
Exertional heat stroke affects firefighters in the field just as much as the victims they respond to. The Kollder tub deploys in under 2 minutes, by one person.
Kollder in the field
Exertional heat stroke (EHS) affects fire and rescue services in two distinct ways. First, firefighters themselves, exposed to intense physical effort in full PPE, both on calls and during training. Second, the victims they respond to during patient care missions, particularly during periods of extreme heat.
For a complete breakdown of the physiological mechanisms and warning signs, read our guide to exertional heat stroke and our season outlook on protecting firefighters in 2026.
The foundational rule validated by the ACSM and the International Olympic Committee: never transport an exertional heat stroke victim before cooling them. Cold water immersion remains, to date, the only method with a cooling rate that is clinically fast enough.
Whole-body cold water immersion cools at 0.35°C per minute, compared to roughly 0.03°C per minute for wet towels or ice packs. Source: Casa DJ et al., Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 2007.
Across 401 exertional heat stroke cases treated with immediate cold water immersion, survival is 100% when core temperature drops below 40°C within 30 minutes. Source: Korey Stringer Institute, Douglas Casa, UConn.
OSHA's proposed heat injury and illness prevention standard is pushing US employers toward documented heat response equipment. France has already made this mandatory for emergency responders under Décret n°2025-482, a preview of where the regulatory bar is heading.
In the field, a tarp held by several crew members and filled from a tender remains a common practice, whether for a firefighter in distress or a victim being treated on scene. It works, but it ties up several crew members just to hold the tarp, takes time to set up, and limits access to the patient for monitoring.
Our comparison of cooling methods breaks down the performance gaps. For departments evaluating multiple suppliers, our comparison of market manufacturers is also available, along with an objective comparison with I-CWIK.
What isn't enough in the field
Cooling equipment intended for operational fire service use has to meet precise requirements, regardless of brand. Kollder One™ and Kollder Go™ spec sheet below.
The equipment needs to be operational before EMS backup arrives, with no lengthy training and no extra crew tied up on deployment.
205 × 80 × 60 cm deployed. Stainless steel frame, SS304 stainless hinges (Ø6mm), 6 contact points with cross-bracing: it holds a patient in full turnout gear on uneven ground or hot asphalt, without shifting.
Hybrid transport bag, 85 × 10 × 10 cm folded, 11.1 kg, carried as a backpack, by hand, or rolled. Stows in any standard response vehicle, no compartment modifications needed.
Whole-body immersion with full patient access allows clinical monitoring throughout cooling. The food-grade stainless steel structure cleans and disinfects quickly between calls.
Four operational situations where fast cooling equipment makes the difference, for fire personnel and for the victims they treat.
A collapse in public, a victim in hyperthermia during a summer call: immediate on-scene cooling, before transport, applies to any victim treated by a fire and rescue crew, not just to firefighters themselves.
Trail races, marathons, Hyrox: when a fire department provides standby medical cover, the medical post needs to treat EHS in a runner without waiting for transport to a hospital.
Thermal protective gear, prolonged exertion, extreme ambient heat: EHS can strike a firefighter during short operational periods. Details in our wildfire equipment guide.
EHS risk also exists off the fireground, during training and fitness sessions, and during rehab after a prolonged engagement. See our article on firefighter rehab.
The reference treatment, validated by the ACSM and the IOC, is whole-body cold water immersion started immediately on scene, before any transport. This is the Cool First, Transport Second protocol: cooling takes priority over evacuation until the victim's core temperature drops below 38.6°C.
Immerse the victim in cold water up to the shoulders immediately and alert EMS in parallel. According to the Korey Stringer Institute, survival reaches 100% across more than 400 documented cases when core temperature drops below 40°C within 30 minutes of initial treatment.
An emergency cooling tub designed for operational use should be deployable by one person, with no tools, in under 2 minutes. This is a decisive requirement for fire and rescue services, where the equipment needs to be operational before EMS backup even arrives.
Four criteria matter most: single-operator deployment speed, portability inside a standard fire apparatus, a hygiene-compliant material such as food-grade stainless steel, and 360-degree patient access so crews can monitor the patient throughout immersion.
Yes, provided it is designed for field use: folded down into a compact, lightweight format, it should stow in any standard response vehicle without modification, then deploy directly on scene.
Tell us what you need. We'll get back to you within 48 hours with a proposal sized to your call volume and coverage area.
The Kollder emergency cooling tub, in brief: