How first responders are dealing with snow-covered, icy roads

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – You’ve probably had to deal with the snow and especially the ice slowing down your commute in recent days, but you’re not the only one. First responders are also finding themselves in the same situation.

The lights and sirens may help get other drivers out of the way, but even ambulances and fire trucks are taking a little longer to get to calls, at least it seems that way.

Mostly out of an abundance of caution explains Vancouver Fire Captain Jonathan Gormick who describes what crews are going through. “It’s challenging for our staff to face partly because we don’t typically see these kind of conditions in the City of Vancouver. But because we operate such large, heavy apparatus we need to be chained up all the time and that decreases the speed with which we can get to calls.”

He admits their drivers need to be a little more careful because of how slippery the roads are and to ensure they’re keeping a safe distance from other vehicles. “Hopefully response times aren’t that affected but the conditions are definitely challenging.”

Joe Acker with BC Emergency Health Services says all Ambulances in the province carry chains but drivers have to be more aware of the road conditions. “No question that when we have wintry conditions that the response times are impacted and that’s primarily because the paramedics, of course, want to respond and transport patients as safely as possible. So, we tend to slow down at this time of year.”

Vancouver Police say officers are aware of the conditions are using main routes as much as possible and are taking extra precautions on the side streets. They’re also encouraging the public to do the same.

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