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STATESBORO, Ga. — Over the weekend, Bulloch County EMS found themselves unusually occupied as the region was blanketed with two to two-and-a-half inches of snow on Saturday.
Although the snowfall began in the early afternoon, most emergency calls started to pour in only after dusk, according to Bulloch County EMS Director, Brian Hendrix.
“While the snow was falling, everything was relatively calm,” Hendrix noted. “The real issues began once darkness fell.”
Hendrix reported that emergency teams attended to several car accidents involving injuries.
“The main cause was people driving too fast for the icy conditions, resulting in skids and crashes,” he explained.
Crews were prepared and spread out through the county due to recent investments by the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners.
“Fortunately, over the last couple of years, our commissioners have allowed us to staff numerous stations throughout the county,” Hendrix said.
Hendrix added that County EMS set up at Station 9 in Clito to help provide extra coverage in the north end of the county.
Hendrix additionally provided safety tips that residents should follow during any serious weather event.
“Just prepare in advance [and] listen to what your county leaders are telling you,” he said. “Make sure you have like a “go bag,” and you’re prepared to be self-sustainable for several days during an event like this.”
He expanded on what a “go bag” should include.
“It’s just something so that you can be self-sustained for 24 to 48 hours until you can get to more resources,” he said. “It’s just a simple bag that has flashlights and batteries and a [meal ready to eat] or two in it, some bottled water and just something that if your house were to catch on fire, for instance, you could just grab that bag and you could be self-sustainable for 24 to 48 hours until help gets to you.”
Hendrix echoed a familiar message that the Bulloch County EMA shared through the storm: staying off the roads decreases traffic and the number of accidents for first responders, though higher wait times can happen due to weather conditions.
“When we have events like this — tropical storms, hurricanes, ice storms — people just need to realize that we won’t always come with the lights, going in, the sirens blaring,” he said. “We have to take our time because we have to get there safely or otherwise, we’re no good to you. When [residents] do call 9-1-1 during events like this, they need to realize that it might take quite a few minutes for us to get there — but we will do everything we can to get to you, because that’s our job.”