DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A winter storm will move through north Georgia on Friday and first responders are ready to go.
Both Emory University Hospital and American Medical Response say they really started preparing for this storm a week ago, making sure they have the people and resources ready to respond — even knowing how tough conditions can get.
“It was gridlock in 2014, and nobody could move,” American Medical Response’s EMT Jonathon Jenkins told Channel 2′s Michael Doudna.
Jenkins remembers 2014 too well: how icy conditions shut down roads even while he was trying to respond to emergencies.
“We had to take side roads and back roads. But then we got to a spot where we could not get up the hill because the roads were so bad,” Jenkins said.
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Winter storms make things more difficult for first responders, but EMS groups like American Medical Response are already making preparations.
Those winter preparations include everything from replacing tires with more winter-friendly ones to having salt in every vehicle, to having cots in case their employees need a place to stay.
“It’s very important because we anticipate an increase in call volume tomorrow,” officials said.
With those calls, Jonathon says they will change how they drive, rushing to emergencies with deliberate speed.
And while ambulances will be responding to calls, hospitals will keep running.
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“We will have a couple of thousands of people staying overnight to take care of someone else,” said Emory Healthcare’s Matt Wain.
Wain says they already have 96 hours of supplies, energy, and food on hand to make sure they keep running, even if everything else becomes a standstill.
“At the end of the day, people need care, we are here to provide that care, and hospitals cannot and will not close,” Wain said.
So now, the final preparations are being made ready that if emergencies call there will be people ready to answer.
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