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The house is always packed for county EMS
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Don’t talk to the county’s paid medics about work space. More and more their days revolve around dealing with a lack of it.
The county's rescue squad – Company 12 – began sharing space with the volunteer Company 11 at its base off Route 229. Then the state's Office of Emergency Services suspended Company 11 on Jan. 3, after the volunteer Company failed to meet staffing guidelines. The move effectively closed the door to both companies.
Arguments ensued between the county and volunteers – could the county legally use the empty Company 11 building? Why doesn't the county help Company 11? Why should the county take responsibility for Company 11's mistakes?
In the end, the county decided to move forward with its own building, regardless of whether or not Company 11 wins its suit. But that building will be awhile coming. In the meantime, they live their working days – two 24-hour shifts a week – squeezed into a space that’s a quarter of what they used to have.
“In this business you learn to improvise,” Company 12 medic Scott Yeiser said. “It all comes down to problem solving.”
The lack of a garage forced them to leave a plastic tablecloth over the ambulance windshield when the snow began to fall. That way they could rip it off at a moment’s notice, and leave for the scene with a clear view.
Throughout the day, they remove fluid bags from the ambulance as it stands in the cold, making sure that nothing freezes. That goes for the ambulance too, which runs while parked. After all, it’s a bad idea to leave a diesel vehicle in the cold.
Inside the building grows more crowded. The temporary space means no sink and no showers. It means no privacy for the volunteers, who now sleep in beds situated close to one another. And it means little room to move around. Into the tiny space they’ve squeezed five beds, couches and a dining room table, plus all of the equipment and file cabinets.
Dinner must now be planned far in advance – their portable electric stovetop boils water after 25 minutes on the highest heat. Another 30 minutes pass before the spaghetti cooks. The staff uses an outdoor grill when the weather’s nice, but the cold weather made it useless. As one staff member joked, management might complain if they used a propane grill indoors.
“We’re making the best of a situation,” medic Pam Bertoni said. “I wouldn’t call it a bad situation, but I wouldn’t call it optimal.”
“I’d call it bad,” co-worker Jessica Harrup joked.
Wednesday, Dec. 5, morning opened with a bang for the crew. Snow covered the ground, the fluffy, damp kind. Perfect for snowballs and auto accidents.
The first snow day of the year always brings a barrage of early-morning accidents, for reasons many rescuers still debate.
In driving through snow, speed alone doesn't save the driver. What matters is the distance between vehicles, and the caution drivers exercise. It usually takes awhile to realize that, said the workers. Last year a flash freeze resulted in 32 accidents on Route 29.
By the end of this Wednesday, several accidents demanded attention, most notably a three-vehicle crash on Sperryville.
They spent the morning pushing a vehicle off the road. That afternoon they watched the news for a weather forecast, and watched a map that showed the entire state colored white, while the rest of the nation was still green.
“Sometimes you see these accidents, and it’s like, how in the world did you manage to get your cars in that position?” Harrup laughed.
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