Heat Stroke — A Medical Emergency

Heat stroke is the most serious heat illness. The body's cooling system has failed and core temperature shoots up — it can climb to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. A core temperature above 104°F (40°C) is the medical line for heat stroke.

This is a true emergency. Brain, kidneys, and muscles start taking damage fast, and delay costs lives. Every minute of cooling counts.

How to spot it

The tell is the brain. When someone working in heat starts acting wrong, treat it as heat stroke until proven otherwise. Watch for:

Confusion, slurred speech, acting drunk or agitated
Passing out or not making sense
Seizures
Very high body temperature
Hot skin that may be dry OR may still be sweaty — don't rule out heat stroke just because the person is sweating

What to do — call 911 and cool now

Do not wait for the ambulance to start cooling. Aggressive cooling in the first minutes is what saves the person.

Call 911 immediately and stay with the worker.
Move them to a cool or shaded area and strip off outer clothing and gear.
Cool fast and hard: cold-water or ice immersion if you can, or soak them with cold water and fan them, and put ice packs at the neck, armpits, and groin.
If they're alert and can swallow, give cool water in small sips. Never give fluids to someone who is confused or not fully awake.
Stay with them until EMS takes over. Report their condition and how long they've been down.

Why speed matters

Most on-the-job heat deaths trace back to a delayed response — the worker was left too long before anyone acted, or cooling didn't start until EMS arrived. Once you recognize heat stroke, the clock is running. Getting the body temperature down in those first minutes is the difference between a recovery and a fatality.

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