OhioHealth and Columbus Fire Train for Heat-Related Emergencies
As summer heats up, OhioHealth and the Columbus Division of Fire are making sure first responders and healthcare providers are ready for heat-related emergencies. They recently teamed up for some hands-on training simulations to tackle illnesses caused by extreme heat.
These simulations focused on spotting and treating heat exhaustion and other heat-related conditions. Brad Gable, MD, OhioHealth system medical director of simulation, played the part of a runner showing signs of heat exhaustion. This gave the teams a chance to see the symptoms up close and practice their response.
“A lot of the marathons and sporting events are coming up,” Dr. Gable told NBC4 reporter Brett Mills. “We want to make sure that all of our healthcare providers, whether it’s first responders or sports medicine fellows, you know, physicians, you know, athletic trainers, they’re all prepared to deal with heat illness and heat emergencies.”
One key technique covered was the use of an ice bath to rapidly lower body temperature. Ben Bring, DO, a family medicine physician with OhioHealth, showed the first responders how it’s done.
“The best way to cool these patients off is to get them into what’s called a cold tub immersion,” he said. “So, we put them in a big tub of water that’s nice and soupy with some ice, and we stir it up and we kind of monitor their vitals and their core body temperature.”
The drills also strengthen the partnership between teams, providing an opportunity to practice teamwork and communication in realistic scenarios. They help everyone stay up to date on the latest medical practices and get new providers up to speed, said Robert Lowe, MD, medical director for the Columbus Division of Fire. “All of those aspects coming together to make sure we’re operating finely tuned and with the latest, greatest information.”
This training comes just in time for the OhioHealth Grandview Yard Half & Quarter Marathon in August. Both OhioHealth and the Columbus Division of Fire are making sure their teams are ready to handle any heat-related incidents and keep the community safe.
To learn more about OhioHealth Emergency Medicine, click here.
To learn more about OhioHealth patient simulations, click here.
