How is heat stress managed in full PPE?

• A. Increase PPE weight
• B. Ignore heat while wearing PPE
• C. Wait for incident to end before hydrating
• D. Establish rehab; rotate crews; provide fluids/food/seating away from incident stress; medically monitor personnel.

Answer: (D)

Heat stress in full PPE is managed by a formal rehab process that cools and rehydrates crews, rotates personnel, and medically monitors health status. When firefighters wear insulating turnout gear and SCBA, heat and humidity build up quickly because sweat evaporation is hindered and the layers trap heat. Rehab provides a controlled area away from the hot scene where gear can be removed as tolerated, rest is taken, and fluids with electrolytes are provided to restore hydration. Seating and a cool environment reduce thermally induced fatigue and cognitive strain, while medical staff monitor vitals and symptoms to catch dehydration, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke early and guide further treatment. Rotating crews prevents excessive exposure to heat, giving others the chance to work while experienced responders recover. This approach is essential; simply increasing gear weight makes heat worse, ignoring heat risks delays relief, and waiting until the incident ends before hydrating is unsafe.