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Environmental · Chapter 26 Not started
Heat-Related Emergencies
Heat cramps to heat stroke — yes, they happen on spring skiing days and summer operations.
Key points
- The spectrum: heat cramps → heat exhaustion → heat stroke. The dividing line for heat stroke is altered mental status.
- Heat exhaustion: heavy sweating, weakness, nausea, headache, normal-ish mentation. Move to shade/cool, remove layers, cool fluids if alert.
- Heat stroke: hot skin (wet or dry) with confusion, combativeness, or unconsciousness — a true emergency; cool aggressively NOW and transport.
- Aggressive cooling: ice packs to neck/armpits/groin, evaporative cooling, cold-water immersion where feasible per protocol.
- Spring skiers in full winter kit exerting in sun are heat-illness candidates; so are hikers and bike-park guests in summer operations.
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