 The West continues to suffer under extreme heat, and with that, more fire departments are using new ways of cooling people down who are suffering from heat stroke. In Henderson, Nevada, when a call comes in of somebody suffering from heat stroke, firefighters can now use what are called polar pods, basically bags that they fill with ice to bring down the victim's core body temperature. Thomas Vince with Henderson Fire. It allows us to encase the patient and fully enclose them and immerse them in ice water.