Doctors and paramedics gear up for Arctic blast
They are the people relied on most during a storm: paramedics and emergency room doctors.
They don’t get holidays off and they don’t get a snow day either.
The good news with this storm is they haven’t seen many emergencies related to snow – but they’ve gotta be ready regardless.
But during an arctic blast, their jobs can mean life or death.
“Every day is an emergency day,” said Dr. Gregory Collins, Memorial Hospital emergency room physician.
Collins has worked in Memorial Hospital’s ER for 12 years.
He knows bad weather is part of the job and it’s also when he’s needed the most, even if it’s meant, at times, staying at work a little later
“Just overnight, waiting for the weather to clear up to get home,” Collins said.
His patients come from paramedics, who have the task of getting to a call quickly, but not spinning their tires out and needing medical attention themselves.
“Whatever it takes, I’m gonna push my limits. If I’m comfortable with it, I’ll push my limits. And do what I need to, to get to the call,” said paramedic Katie Marron.
Typically, Marron’s crew answers a call an hour, though Monday the calls weren’t related to winter weather crashes.
“We haven’t had any traffic accidents, just some other non-emergency calls,” Marron said.
“We should be prepared for things like this, but sometimes they’re not,” Collins said. “And we’re here if anyone needs any help.”
Memorial Hospital will arrange rides or hotel rooms for employees when a snow emergency is declared by the city.
Collins says they haven’t seen any cases of frostbite come into the ER yet, though that could easily change as temperatures continue to drop through Wednesday morning.
