Newswatch 16’s Jack Culkin spoke to experts about how to protect yourself and your family from the elements.
SCRANTON, Pa. — A heavy winter coat is mandatory as residents in Lackawanna County woke up Tuesday to temperatures in the mid-teens following a major winter storm.
In Scranton, the wind whipped around the steam coming from the exhaust vents of Scranton Fire Headquarters along Mulberry Street.
“We all kind of knew what was coming, and I think people heeded that warning, and I think that was important because it limits putting our responders at risk, EMS, police, and fire,” said Chief John Judge, Scranton Fire Department.
Chief John Judge says his department went out for a few calls, but thankfully, nothing too severe.
He says that preparations were in place to make sure firefighters were safe before, during, and after the storm and frigid cold that is now following. “We’re trying to make sure that we’re operating safely here in the city of Scranton right now with, you know, our DPW crews out there still clearing the roadways, actively working, additional contractors in doing the same. So making sure that our trucks can get through, too, is really important and vital.”
With well below-freezing temperatures, a staple message in forecasts over the next few days, medical professionals are urging people to continue to use caution.
“So over the next few weeks, the biggest risk is gonna be hypothermia. You need to dress adequately for the weather,” said Deborah Erdman, Geisinger Outreach/Injury Prevention Coordinator.
Registered nurse Deborah Erdman is the Outreach and Injury Prevention Coordinator at Geisinger Health System. With the weather that’s being seen across the area, she urges people to limit their exposure to the elements, dress in layers if they have to go outside, and take breaks to warm up.
These practices will help prevent hypothermia and frostbite.
“Babies don’t shiver, whereas when we start shivering, that’s usually a beginning onset of hypothermia, and our older folks are taking a lot of medications that could potentially cause hypothermia because they have troubles with warming their bodies,” said Erdman.
Both the Scranton fire chief and nurses at Geisinger hope the next time they’re called to help, it is in the warmer days ahead.