Dr. Ralf W. Blackstone, right, inventor of Polar Breeze total body cooling
system, explains the system to fire fighters and emergency responders
from the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and Washington, D.C., Fire
Departments while JBM-HH Health Safety...

Dr. Ralf W. Blackstone, inventor of the Polar Breeze total body
cooling system, addresses Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and
Washington, D.C. Fire Department members and other military first
responders prior to demonstrating the Polar Breeze technolo...

The Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Fire Department has acquired a new piece of equipment designed to help prevent heat stroke and heat exhaustion in patients.

The Polar Breeze body cooling system is a device that assists firefighters with thermal rehab, lowering their core body temperatures and reducing the risk of heat related illness or injury in the line of duty.

"The instances of heat stroke and heat exhaustion in firefighters is far higher than any other group in the United States," said Dr. Ralf Blackstone, director of research and development for Statim Technologies, which makes the Polar Breeze system.

When firefighters are on the job, surrounded by flames and covered in pounds of heavy equipment, their core temperatures can reach anywhere from 101 to 104 degrees or higher, Blackstone said. And lowering that core body temperature can take up to 80 minutes.

"You're cooking the entire time you're there," he said. "That might be great for barbeque, but it's terrible for human beings."

Blackstone also said the Polar Breeze team is researching the machine's long-term effects and its potential ability to help fight heart disease brought on by repeat heat exhaustion.

"You also have a problem with repetitive heat stress because of the job you do," he said to a room ful of firefighters at the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Fire Department. "That heat stress is now being linked to increased instances of cardiovascular disease in firefighters."

Polar Breeze generates a cold air stream that travels through a hose and allows the user to breathe it directly into their lungs. Users can put on a hood that will also cool their entire head.

The machine cools firefighters from the inside out, according to Blackstone.

"What that really means is that the major organs -- the brain, the heart, the lungs -- are all getting a cool bloodstream much more rapidly," he said.

The system, which is easily transportable, can cool up to three people at a time. It just depends on how much firefighters are suffering at that moment; a firefighter under severe heat stress -- 104 or higher -- should use the machine alone.

JBM-HH Fire Chief Russell Miller said that two of his captains attended a symposium and reported that the Polar Breeze would be an effective and potentially life-saving tool for the joint base's fire department to have.

"That's the first thing that brought our attention to it," Miller said. "You're not going to get any hotter than being in a fire. In terms of getting your core body temperature up, it's not going to happen any other way."

But the system's uses don't end there. The Polar Breeze can also be deployed throughout the summer months for special events where heat exhaustion might be a concern, according to Miller.

The system was deployed with JBM-HH firefighters and emergency response technicians during Memorial Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. Cemetery officials estimated some 150,000 people visited the cemetery during Memorial Day weekend. Thankfully, no heat casualties were reported during the weekend, said Miller.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average of 675 people die every year in the United States from extreme heat events.

"We're looking at trying to expand our capabilities to treat a number of patients," Miller said.

Pentagram Staff Writer Guv Callahan can be reached at wcallahan@dcmilitary.com.