CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Service Agency (MEDIC) personnel are urging everyone to stay off the roads during this weekend’s impactful winter storm.
[ ALSO READ: City prepares for icy roads and downed trees ]
Additional MEDIC trucks will be on the roads, and the agency says they’re ready to respond to anything.
Brian Shimberg, assistant operations supervisor at MEDIC, said he’s been through several winter storms.
“I remember 2003-2004, was our last really, really bad ice storm,” he said. “I remember having to drive through people’s front yards in Myers Park to get around powerlines and downed trees to get to calls.”
Shimberg said the agency has wasted no time preparing for this weekend.
MEDIC added more staff in the field to help patients and to answer 911 calls.
“The weather impacts our ability to move quickly through the county so more units on the road allows to get to those calls faster, even if we have to drive slower,” he said.
They will monitor which parts of the county will get an increase in call volume.
“We can real-time adjust deployment of our units to areas that might need them more,” he said. “So, if Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson are receiving more inclement weather, we can move additional units to those areas.”
Shimberg said a storm can still be overwhelming for crews who will be working long hours with little breaks.
“A lot of places close down, so from our perspective, it gets hard to eat, hard to get breaks, hard to rest,” he said. “But we’re here we’re ready and we’ll be there when you need us.”
MEDIC wants to remind people to only call 911 for medical emergencies, not to report fallen trees or power outages.
MEDIC said its staffing levels have improved significantly compared to four years ago when they faced a critical staffing shortage during a January snowstorm.
They said its helped plan for this weekend.
VIDEO: Winter driving dangers and safety tips
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