First responders work through challenges of winter weather
By Jenna Wilson
While many may have been staying home and out of the cold weather this week, first responders don’t have that luxury, as they remain busy serving the community, no matter the conditions.
Buchanan County EMS paramedic Andrew King said emergency medical crews must stay prepared for all types of weather because each day someone’s life could be in their hands.
“Living in the Midwest especially, we know we’re going to have lots of extreme weathers,” King said. “In the summer and spring, we’re going to have the big storms, and in the wintertime, of course, we’re going to start seeing big cold snaps, snowstorms and everything you can imagine. We have to be ready to drive in all conditions.”
While emergency crews are equipped with reliable four-wheel-drive vehicles, they have their fair share of road challenges when winter weather hits — navigating steep inclines and trying to safely drive through the ice and snow.
It’s also a challenge trying to move patients from their homes into the ambulance in a safe amount of time.
“A lot of the populations we deal with, whether it’s due to injuries, sickness or just preexisting conditions, these people are not mobile on their own,” King said. “On a normal sunny 70-degree day, it’s not a big deal to carry somebody out of the house, but when you add these extreme temperatures and snow amounts, it adds another challenge. We need to move much slower and more methodically because we want to do it safely. We don’t want to hurt our patient and we also don’t want our crews to get hurt.”
Winter conditions can bring on challenges for firefighters as well, as freezing temperatures can create special issues with their equipment.
“Not only do we have to be extra cautious getting to the fire but we have to make sure our equipment doesn’t freeze up on us when we arrive,” said Mykie May, SJFD Station 9 captain. “We’re dealing with water, and water always freezes. So, our driver engineer is always on top of trying to make sure that you have a water source and you always have water at the end of your nozzle and it doesn’t freeze up on you.”
Officials said calls for fires that start from heat sources increase during the winter months, and whether people are using a fireplace, a heater or any other source to stay warm, they should all be checked properly.
“If you have a fireplace, please get your flue serviced,” May said. “If you have a gas fireplace, make sure that it’s flowing like it’s supposed to and it’s not emitting CO2 or anything like that. As for space heaters, we ask that you do not plug them into extension cords. That’s one of our big fire starters this time of year.”
Emergency crews are also reminding the public to make sure driveways are clear of snow and house numbers are visible and not covered up by the snow in case of an emergency.
