Emergency Services urge residents to be on the lookout for residents suffering from cold after temperatures drop on Thursday
Prince Albert emergency services urged residents to watch out for those who may have been out in the cold too long after temperatures plunged to as low as -37 C Thursday morning.
Parkland Ambulance Care Ltd. spokesperson Lyle Karasiuk said the cold temperature resulted in a small uptick in the number of calls for service, but nothing out of the ordinary for a Saskatchewan winter. However, he added that it’s still important to watch out for vulnerable residents who may need a warm-up spot.
“I happen to work in a system and I know what to do, but if folks see people outside who are in cold weather like this and obviously shouldn’t be there, please call emergency services,” Karasiuk said during a phone interview on Thursday. “Call a police agency. Let’s get them warm somewhere. We have mechanisms as agencies to get them safe and warm, even if the shelters are full, so that nobody has to be out in this bitter cold.”
Karasiuk said an increase of five cold weather calls per day would constitute a dramatic increase over what they normally deal with. He said Parkland didn’t see a jump like that, but they still got a couple calls related to the cold.
He said with red and white splotches on their face is showing early signs of frostbite, while people stumbling around in confusion may be suffering from hypothermia.
“They can be stumbling around almost as if they were drunk, and they’re not necessarily drunk,” Karasiuk said. “Those are severe signs. You need to get them warm, get them shelter, get them some help. With a busy Christmas season, it’s always a reminder to folks.”
Thursday’s cold weather had Prince Albert aid agencies reminding residents about the services they offer for those vulnerable to the cold.
River Bank Development Corporation began circling their Winter Resource List in hopes of getting more information into the hands of community members.
River Bank Reaching Home Project Officer Diana Rodas said the campaign is no different from what they’ve done previously. They just wanted to get the message out there again so people remember what’s available.
“(It’s) just (to) make sure that we highlight the resources we have in the community,” Rodas said. “Agencies are opening their doors to folk right now, especially with the cold weather and Christmas coming around. It’s just important we make sure people are aware of the resources.”
Temperatures hit a low Thursday morning, but things slowly warmed up as the day went on. By 7 p.m., temperatures had hit -23 C. Friday’s forecast calls for things to get even warmer, with a high of -10 C, and a low of -19 C.
Temperatures are expected to get as high as -8 C on Saturday and -6 C on Sunday.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
