Some busier than others
Staff writer
Public workers, from ambulance crews to firefighters to local police, had their usual responsibilities thrown out the window this weekend as a huge snowstorm struck the county.
But the amount of work the snowstorm caused varied dramatically between departments.
Hillsboro’s fire department, for example, had a relatively quiet weekend.
“It went just fine for us,” fire chief Ben Steketee said. “We didn’t get called out.”
While Hillsboro police aided a few motorists stuck in the snow in and outside town Sunday, police chief Jessey Hiebert also reported a quiet weekend.
“Our town was just a ghost town,” he said. “We didn’t have but one traffic accident, which was nothing more than a vehicle sliding into a stop sign.”
Hiebert described a patrol officer getting stuck in the snow while on duty and another who was unable to get his car out of his driveway, as some of the more interesting things that occurred.
Meanwhile, Lincolnville fire chief Les Kaiser reported a dramatic Sunday as his team of volunteers from Lincolnville and Lost Springs rescued five vehicles stranded on the snow-clogged interstate.
County ambulance director Chuck Kenney was similarly put into difficult situations after weather dramatically restricted the movement of his fleet.
After Hillsboro ambulance was dispatched to take a 75-year-old woman to St. Luke Hospital Saturday evening, the vehicle slid off an icy Upland Rd.
Marion ambulance had to be activated to help the woman, while Marion’s fire crew attempted to get Hillsboro ambulance back on the road.
After firefighters failed to extricate the ambulance and dispatchers informed medics no county personnel were available, Kenney personally called the road and bridge department.
“EMS and the road and bridge department usually have a pretty good relationship with trying to get things handled,” Kenney said. “I called Tom Hall, and he was able to bring a grader out and a sand truck out and laid some sand down, and we were able to get everything unstuck.”
Three more ambulance calls were made over the weekend. Hillsboro ambulance was not dispatched to any of them.
Kenney said this was because Marion’s ambulance was closer to the incident each time.
Marion ambulance became stuck in snow Sunday afternoon while driving to a 83-year-old Peabody woman who fell and hurt her back.
Medics eventually completed the call on foot.
Asked why Hillsboro medics didn’t complete Saturday’s call on foot, Kenney said: “I don’t have an answer for that one. I’m going to talk to the crews about that.”
Another serious incident occurred Sunday evening when Marion ambulance and a Hillsboro ambulance supervisor were directed to a farmhouse on US-56/77 near 210th Rd.
An 89-year-old man had fallen and lay outside for two hours before sheriff’s deputies found him.
Marion ambulance took 40 minutes to arrive because of the weather. The man was then transported to St. Luke in serious condition.