Responding to Heat Stroke: Quick Action with the T.A.C.O. Method
Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition that can escalate rapidly. When your body overheats and loses its ability to regulate temperature, it can cause permanent damage to vital organs like the brain, kidneys, and heart. The key to minimizing harm is recognizing the symptoms early and acting fast. Reducing core body temperature within 30 minutes will almost always save a life.
Understanding Heat Stroke: Symptoms and Consequences
Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat-related illness (HRI). It occurs when the body’s temperature rises above 104°F (40°C), and it can result in long-term damage or even death if not treated immediately.
Symptoms of Heat Stroke:
- High body temperature (104°F or higher)
- Dry, hot skin (lack of sweating)
- Confusion, disorientation or unconsciousness
- Rapid pulse or difficulty breathing
- Seizures
- Nausea or vomiting
These symptoms indicate that the body is in a dangerous state of overheating. Heat stroke first aid is critical at this point because the body’s cooling mechanisms have failed. Without intervention, heat stroke can cause permanent damage to the brain, heart, and other organs, leading to long-term effects like cognitive impairment and cardiovascular disease.
Immediate Actions in a Heat Stroke Emergency
When someone shows symptoms of heat stroke, quick action can be the difference between life and death. Here’s what to do:
- Call 911: Heat stroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate professional intervention.
- Move the person to a cooler environment: If possible, relocate the person to an air-conditioned space.
- Remove excess clothing: Help the body cool by loosening or removing excess clothing to promote airflow.
- Use cold compresses: Apply ice packs or cold, wet towels to the neck, armpits, and groin to help lower body temperature.
Better yet, if you have access to a tub, whole body cold water immersion is “the gold standard for treating exertional heat stroke,” explained Margaret Morrissey on an episode of the Radio Free Tenacity podcast. Morrisey is President of the National Heat Safety Coalition and Director of Occupational and Military Safety for the University of Connecticut's Korey Stringer Institute “I think that's […] important point for safety managers. If you have a worker who you think may be […] suffering from an exertional heat stroke, whole-body, cold-water immersion is really important to have. So, if you have a plastic tub with water and ice […] for really, really hot days, that's […] a good idea to prevent that from happening. Or if you have a tarp and you can throw the water and the ice in there and cool them until medical professionals can come on site, that would be critically important to saving their life.”
Introducing the T.A.C.O. Method: A Game-Changer for Remote Cooling
In outdoor and remote work environments, climate control options may be limited, which is where the T.A.C.O. Method shines. T.A.C.O. stands for Tarp Assisted Cooling Oscillation, and it’s a fast, effective way to cool someone down using readily available tools on job sites.
Here’s how it works:
- Lay Down a Tarp: A tarp—such as SHAX® Sidewalls—provides the foundation. Spread it out flat on the ground.
- Place the Person on the Tarp: Gently place the individual suffering from heat stroke on the tarp.
- Douse with Ice Water: Pour cold water or ice water over the individual. This simulates an ice bath, helping to cool the body rapidly.
- Oscillate the Water: Pick up the corners of the tarp and move it back and forth, allowing the cold water to circulate around the person’s body. This full-body cooling method works much like an ice bath that athletes use to recover from intense heat exposure, and it helps reduce the core temperature quickly and efficiently.
This method is particularly useful on job sites where traditional cooling methods like air conditioning may not be available. The goal is to lower body temperature as quickly as possible while waiting for emergency responders.
Al
Welcome everybody to Radio Free Tenacity, the voice of worker safety. Here today to talk about heat stress and specifically what to do when a crew member falls victim to the heat. For help answering that question, we brought in our resident heat stress expert, Lexi Engelbart. Lexi, we talk a lot about, you know, what can be done to prevent heat related illness, but sometimes even our best efforts aren't enough, right? And I'm wondering if you could maybe start by telling us what to look for. Like what are the signs that a teammate has really gotten in trouble with the heat?
Lexi
Yeah, definitely. So there's going to be a handful of different heat illnesses that all present signs and symptoms in different ways.
Al
Okay.
Lexi
So the body has a built-in way of cooling itself down, that's going to be sweating. So a great sign to look for is if somebody is not sweating. Basically that can present itself by, you know, heat rash. So you get itchy, a little blister type of action. So yeah, it's like if it's hot out and somebody stops sweating, that's a really great sign to look for.
Al
Okay.
Lexi
You know, what that usually means is that you're not having enough electrolytes. Maybe dehydration is setting in. That's all a really early onset sign. So that's really where we can start taking action. Another really obvious precursor would be, you know, heat cramps. So you're going to start to feel your muscles tense up, maybe in your legs upper body again, dehydration, electrolyte loss. Those are all going to work their way into heat exhaustion and heat stroke. So start taking action when those signs and symptoms start showing themselves.
Al
Okay, so what sort of actions do you recommend in those cases?
Lexi
Yeah. So, you know, we definitely want to try to get the person into a cool environment if that's possible. If you have climate control, AC, fans. Get that person cooled down. You can apply cooling PPE as well. So cooling towels, you know, phase change packs to any of those pulse points. That's going to help bring down that core body temperature as quickly as possible.
Al
Okay. Awesome. Anything else we should know there in terms of what to look for?
Lexi
So with heat exhaustion and heat stroke, that's where we're going to get into a medical emergency territory. So we need to make sure we're acting fast, monitoring that person, and you know, what's your emergency plan that you have in place. So again, common signs would be dizziness, feeling faint or even confusion. Those are where we're inching into that heat exhaustion, heat stroke, medical emergency territory.
Al
Okay. All right. Well and yeah, once you start getting into that area, yeah things have gotten really, really serious. Good news is, from what I've read and what I've heard, the research says, if you act quickly, you know, you can kind of get yourself out of a pickle there. Right?
Lexi
Exactly. Yeah. You want to respond, as quickly as possible. You want to call the paramedics first. While you're waiting for paramedics to come, cooling down that person as quickly as possible. A lot of times we're on a remote job site or there's not climate control. So there's a couple really easy techniques that can be used in a pinch if you can't cool somebody down with AC or something like that.
Al
All right. Cool. Why don't you share with the audience!
Lexi
Absolutely! So like I said, the first step would definitely be calling 911. Get paramedics on the way. Make sure you've got an emergency medical plan in place. Number two, you know, I said talking about remote job sites. Maybe you've got, you know, a tent, or something like that. Our SHAX® 6000 is a great model to help provide shade. Again, taking a rest break. You want to get that person out of the sun and cooling down. So again, medical emergency, somebody goes down, what do you do to try to cool them off as quickly as possible while paramedics are on the way? A really great solution, is called the T.A.C.O. Method. So Tarp Assisted Cooling Oscillation.
Al
Got it.
Lexi
So T.A.C.O., delicious to eat and really helpful in an emergency situation too. So basically, what you'll do is take a tarp, in our case, our SHAX® sidewalls work really perfect for this application. So you can take a SHAX® sidewall down, roll the person into the tarp. You'll want to get a bucket or cooler full of ice water. Pour that all over the person. And really what we're trying to do, you'll pick up the corners of the tarp. You'll try to oscillate that water, that ice...
Al
Okay.
Lexi
Try to cool that person down from a total body perspective. Very similar to how athletes use, ice baths or, you know, something along those lines. Just to try to cool that body down as quickly as possible.
Al
Okay, okay. Well, that's actually really helpful and helpful to know that the SHAX® sidewall, can act as that tarp in an emergency situation. And it definitely bears repeating that, you know, the first step here is dialing 911. Get emergency on the way. Right?
Lexi
Absolutely. They're the professionals. We re just trying to cool this person down while they're on the way.
Al
Got it, got it. Well Lexi thank you so much for being here and talking Heat Stress Safety. For those out there watching or listening, if you do want to go and investigate further on heat related illnesses and solutions, head over to ergodyne.com/heat-stress and you'll find a whole treasure trove of information there. Once again, thank you very much for watching or listening. Stay safe out there people.
Heat Stroke Recovery and Long-Term Effects
Once medical personnel arrive, they will continue efforts to stabilize the person’s body temperature and may use intravenous fluids or other treatments to manage symptoms. Heat stroke recovery time can vary depending on the severity of the event and the speed of treatment.
For many, recovering from heat stroke can take days to weeks. However, in more severe cases, heat stroke can cause lasting damage, including:
- Cognitive Decline: Heat stroke survivors are at higher risk for memory loss, confusion, and other brain function impairments.
- Cardiovascular Problems: Prolonged exposure to extreme heat can lead to long-term cardiovascular issues, including an increased risk of heart disease.
- Kidney Damage: The kidneys are especially vulnerable to overheating, and severe heat stroke can result in chronic kidney issues.
While heat stroke long-term effects can be devastating, the key to reducing damage lies in acting quickly and cooling the body immediately.
Heat stress prevention is always the first line of defense, but sometimes even the best precautions aren’t enough. After focusing on prevention, your team must also be prepared for emergencies. Implementing a heat emergency plan that includes quick access to cooling methods like the T.A.C.O. Method ensures you’re ready to act when a crew member is in danger. Make sure every member of your team is trained to recognize symptoms of overheating and knows the first aid for heat stroke.
Be Ready for Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is a medical emergency, but with swift action and the right cooling techniques, you can reduce the risk of permanent damage. The T.A.C.O. Method is an easy, practical solution for rapid cooling when air conditioning or other tools are unavailable. Remember, heat stroke symptoms and treatment require immediate action: call 911, move to a cool area, and use methods like T.A.C.O. to cool the person down while help is on the way.
For more detailed information on heat safety, visit ergodyne.com/heat-stress.
FAQ
- Heat Rash: Skin irritation from excessive sweating
- Heat Cramps: Painful muscle cramps due to electrolyte loss
- Heat Exhaustion: A serious condition with heavy sweating, weakness, and nausea
- Heat Stroke: The most severe, marked by a dangerously high body temperature, confusion, and potential organ damage
Early signs of heat exhaustion include:
- Headache
- Weak, rapid pulse
- Heavy sweating
- Fatigue and weakness
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Cool, moist skin and possibly goosebumps, even in the heat
- Body temperature over 104°F (40°C)
- Confusion, slurred speech, or delirium
- Seizures or loss of consciousness
- Hot, dry skin (though sweating may still occur)
- Rapid pulse and shallow breathing
- Call emergency services if symptoms indicate heat stroke
- Move to a cooler place immediately
- Apply cool compresses or spray with cool water
- Loosen or remove clothing to promote cooling
- Rest in a cool place and avoid physical exertion for at least 24-48 hours
- Rehydrate with water or electrolyte drinks to replace fluids
- Seek shade or air conditioning and avoid direct sun exposure
- Eat light, balanced meals to aid recovery and restore energy