For a person suspected of having heat stroke who is unresponsive and breathing normally, what is the most important action?

When someone is suspected of having heat stroke and is unresponsive but breathing normally, the priority is immediate cooling. Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency where the body's temperature regulation fails, leading to an excessively high body temperature that can result in organ failure and even death.

Initiating cooling actions as quickly as possible can help lower the body temperature and prevent severe complications. This could involve removing excess clothing, applying cool water or ice packs to key areas such as the neck, armpits, and groin, or any other rapid cooling methods available.

While placing the person in the recovery position is beneficial for maintaining an open airway, it is not the most urgent step in this scenario since stabilization through cooling is critical in cases of heat stroke. Having the person drink a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink is also not appropriate because the individual is unresponsive, which poses a choking hazard. Although moving the person to a cooler place is important, it should be done concurrently with cooling measures rather than as a standalone action. Thus, beginning immediate cooling is vital for their survival and recovery.