For people with medical conditions, the extended power outages our region is experiencing after severe storms are a serious concern.
Helping community members kept Ross-West View EMS busy on Wednesday.
“We keep a surplus of oxygen on our mass casualty unit, those have all been disturbed, so our truck currently has no portable oxygen units,” Chief Greg Porter said.
Handing out oxygen to the elderly population without power is only a short-term solution, since it’s going to be a multi-day operation to get service restored.
“We will have to figure out some alternative to get emergency oxygen for us or end up having to transport some of those people to the hospital,” Porter said.
The outages don’t just impact those who need supplemental. They’re also dangerous for diabetics with insulin in the fridge and people with heart conditions, making sure they stay hydrated.
Porter says the calls for help just keep coming in.
“Since 5 p.m. yesterday, we’ve answered 60 911 calls and we aren’t even sure that all the calls that went into 911 were processed as they were so inundated with calls,” he said.
It’s not just this agency. Porter is working with other EMS chiefs in the area and the county’s emergency services to make sure they have all the equipment and the most vulnerable are protected.
“They go from 0 to 100 miles at a moment’s notice to solve whatever problem they encounter. I’m incredibly proud of the people who work here,” Porter says.
Porter says they will likely keep extra staffing through Thusday, as another round of storms is expected.
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