Phoenix firefighters are using a blue body bag and bags of ice to rapidly cool heat stroke patients rescued from Valley mountain trails, a low-tech method crews say is saving lives.
Phoenix averages more than 200 mountain rescues each year, and those numbers are trending higher in 2026. Through the first five months of the year, crews responded to 74 mountain rescues — compared to 49 at the same point last year, an increase of more than 50%. Many of those patients are suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
When a patient’s internal temperature exceeds 104º and they show signs of altered consciousness, Phoenix rescue crews deploy the method: placing the patient inside a blue body bag packed with 8 to 10 bags of ice to rapidly drive down their core temperature. Some patients have arrived with internal temperatures as high as 109º…