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Cloudy with light snow developing during the afternoon. High 13F. SE winds shifting to NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..
Windy with on and off snow showers during the evening. Low near -15F. Winds NW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
The expected surge of Arctic cold air this week puts particular stress on first responders such as firefighters and ambulance crews, who must deal with the elements while responding to emergency calls.
The expected surge of Arctic cold air this week puts particular stress on first responders such as firefighters and ambulance crews, who must deal with the elements while responding to emergency calls.
While most of us can remain safe in our homes during periods of foul weather, emergency responders are often called out into the storm, contending with a host of issues brought on by the cold as they work to save people.
The current unseasonable cold weather is expected to develop into extreme cold for the region later today and over the next few days, with a low of about -15 degrees tonight and a high of about -8 Thursday. Winds of 25-30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph are also expected to drive wind chills down to -44 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Meteorologists are predicting that temperatures will remain in the negative digits until Christmas.
Despite the cold, emergency responders, including firefighters and emergency medical personnel, are preparing to deal with the chill to put out fires, help injured or stranded motorists and transport those suffering from medical emergencies to the hospital.
“In normal weather, firefighters are going to be pretty well covered and you don’t really have to worry about the equipment,” Larry Nickles, deputy chief of the Yankton Fire Department, told the Press & Dakotan. “Our apparatus is kind of a big deal when it gets cold.”
When the cold hits, firefighters must be rotated in and out of the trucks to warm themselves.
Also, the trucks can freeze up — not just the water but the diesel fuel as well, he said.
“The first thing is a lot of preparation,” Nickles said. “We treat the tanks with an additive even though the modern trucks circulate the fuel. It’s just a little added precaution.”
Firefighters must check their gear, ensuring that it is clean and dry, from gloves to headgear to socks and any extra clothing in case they get wet, he said.
“So, part of it starts with the firefighters,” Nickles said. “They’ve got to help take care of themselves and make sure they are ready to go.”
Firefighters must also concern themselves with finding a safe, warm place for the occupants of a burning structure and get them moved quickly, he said.
“Injury accidents are crucial because now, you’ve got a patient that probably was in a car accident that was not dressed to be outside,” Nickles said. “I’ve actually seen accidents where we covered the car to protect them from the wind while we were doing the extrication.”
When it’s zero degrees outside with a 25 mph wind, it takes the wind chill down and it can burn your skin in a matter of a few minutes, he said.
“We make sure everybody’s got everything covered completely,” Nickles said. “When you see some of the firefighters, all you’ll see is their eyes. Everything else is covered.”
Cold weather also makes it a lot harder for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to be outside, Troy Cowman, Yankton County EMS deputy ambulance administrator, told the Press & Dakotan.
“We’ve got to make sure everyone’s bundled up really good and that they’re wearing all of their winter gear,” he said. “The goal is to try to stay out of the environment as much as we can, to get the patient out of that environment as well, and get them in the ambulance where it’s going to be warm.”
However, during a storm, that straightforward task can be physically challenging and time consuming.
After checking winter gear, EMTs ensure that ambulances are prepared for the cold, he said.
“We do things in the wintertime like put covers over the grill to make sure that the cold air doesn’t get into the engine,” Cowman said. “We’ve had issues with that before. If it gets too cold on the engine, it’ll actually shut the trucks down and we can’t use them.”
The greatest risk to EMTs involves being out on the road in the extreme cold. Poor visibility and bad road conditions slow response time, he said, even though all the ambulances have four-wheel drive.
In winter, one of the response vehicles is fitted with a snowplow, Cowman said.
“We need to get there as safely as we can and the road conditions are the biggest factor that play into that,” Cowman said. “If we feel that we are going out into a situation where we might need a snowplow ahead of us, that vehicle would probably go along and move some of that snow out of the way, especially at the scene.”
The biggest problem with equipment involves the stretchers used to transfer patients from the scene to the ambulance. The stretchers are well maintained but they are designed to work on hard surfaces and are particularly difficult to maneuver on snow, he said.
“We have issues when we arrive at somebody’s house and we have to get that stretcher from the ambulance out on the street or sidewalk, up a flight of stairs covered with snow and into the house,” Cowman said. “Just the stretcher itself weighs about 130 pounds, and then, you’ve got a patient on there that could weigh anywhere between 150 and 200 pounds. So now, you’re pushing as much as 300 pounds through a snowdrift. It’s just not an easy thing to do.”
During that time, responders must make sure the patient is protected from the cold because negotiating the snow, ice and wind with a patient on the stretcher takes longer than normal, he said.
“We get that patient ready to get out of their house, bundled up as much as possible (with) blankets or towels to cover up their neck and their face and everything else if the wind is blowing and the wind chills are low,” Cowman said. “If the wind chill factor is below zero, it doesn’t take long for somebody to get chilled, especially someone who’s already not feeling well. They might be sick, and wind chill is going to be detrimental to them.”
The ambulances are equipped with warmed blankets once the patient is inside, he said.
“Dealing with emergencies here in town, we’ve got the street crews available, you don’t have to travel at high speeds and we’ve got a little more shelter from all that blowing snow,” Cowman said. “Once we get out of the city limits and start traveling on those highways, we have no shelter, visibility can be down to zero, roads can be icy and it takes that much longer to get to the scene, get your patient and get to the hospital.”
When that happens, it takes an ambulance crew out of service when there might be more 911 calls coming in, which increases the risk to everyone in need of help, Cowman said, adding that at those times, ambulances are as likely to be called to a car accident as to a home.
There are some things that residents can do to help shave precious minutes off those response times.
“We do ask that folks keep their driveways and their sidewalks cleared off as much as possible during the snowstorm, and immediately after, so that we can get access a lot easier,” Cowman said. “(Also), use common sense and absolutely call for an ambulance in an emergency.”
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