LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Icy roads, freezing temperatures and limited visibility make responding to emergency calls more challenging, but UMC EMS maintains patient safety as its top priority regardless of weather conditions.
Chad Curry, training chief at UMC EMS, said the department has measures in place to ensure staff can serve people in need during winter weather.
“So getting nurses to the hospitals, getting doctors to the hospitals that don’t have four wheel drive vehicles, we have to have shift change, we have to have fresh people there, so how do we do that,” Curry said. “We safely get them, and so a lot of employees who have four wheel drive vehicles in order to get them safely to the hospital,” Curry said.
City coordination supports first responders
Curry said the city helps first responders during inclement weather by providing advance notice and coordination.
“So the city does a great job with that of making sure we have the right knowledge of what’s coming, no different than this year when we had the tornado, the EOC was up and we had a good path,” Curry said “So we were able to clear vehicles out of the way, emergency vehicles to move them to a certain side of town in order to prevent any more damage.”
Multi-department teamwork
Communication and coordination between departments is had to best serve the community.
“Also working with the police department, the fire department, making sure as a team we’re able to, at the ultimate get patients to the hospital safely,” Curry said. “It may take part of the road crew to come in before us and scrape on the way to the hospital when it gets really really bad.”
Curry urged residents not to hesitate calling for help during bad weather.
“You know a lot of people may not be able to get there on their own, maybe the elderly, maybe a small child or it may be a whole family that’s sick, but when they can’t do it on their own, that’s what we are here for,” Curry said. “We want to make sure we’re serving the community and so again that’s our motivation every day, but especially when there’s bad weather, because you’re entrusted with that and it makes a huge difference.”
Secondary crashes pose additional risks
One of the biggest risks comes from secondary crashes when responders are already on scene. Curry urged drivers to slow down, stay alert and give crews space when traveling during winter weather.
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