Heavy snow making it a busy day for paramedics
Posted Dec 4, 2016 1:24 pm.
Last Updated Dec 4, 2016 4:48 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
As heavy snow started piling up on the roads, work started picking up for paramedics responding to crashes.
At about 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, they were called to a rollover on the Trans-Canada Highway near the community of Valley Ridge by Calgary’s western city limit. One person was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, prompting EMS spokesperson Adam Loria to remind drivers to slow down.
“Plan ahead. Give yourself a number of extra minutes to get to your location, it will be a slow commute,” he said. “If you haven’t done so already, ensure your vehicle is winterized with winter tires [and] an ice scraper.”
He asked people to drive to the conditions, after EMS saw a jump in calls to collisions in and around the city Sunday morning.
The numbers continued to rise throughout the day. Loria said between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., EMS responded to more than 25 crashes. He said luckily, none of them were serious injury incidents.
While many drivers may not have been prepared for the sudden blast of winter, City of Calgary crews were bracing for it. The roads department started laying down anti-icing solution Saturday night and snow plows were out on major routes such as McLeod Tr., Glenmore Tr. and Crowchild Tr.
“We’ll continue to focus on those roads as the snow falls and for the next 24 hours after it stops,” City of Calgary spokesperson Brittany Kustra said. “From there we’re going to move on to bus route and connector roads. Once those are complete, we’ll move on to residential areas.”
Drivers who want a heads up before heading out can check the City of Calgary’s website for a live map to see where plows are working.
