ATLANTA — While most of the country is hunkered down as an arctic blast covers much of the U.S., first responders will be out braving the elements as they expect to see an increase the volume of calls.
"This is very unusual for this area," explained Dekalb County Fire Chief Darnell Fullum.
Metro Atlanta is bracing for the coldest temperatures the area has seen since 2018 and first responders are making sure they're prepared. Agencies like DeKalb County Fire will be adding extra equipment on scenes when necessary.
"The danger here is obviously when they go to fires they may get wet -- and once they get wet, we need to get them into a space where they can get warm, so we’ll have vehicles out there that the firefighters can go into to get warm," explained Fullum.
Fullum said he's also encouraging his crew to layer up.
"This is a point where they don’t’ have to be worried about uniform," he said.
He also pointed out crews may have to leave some of their equipment behind until the temperatures warm up.
"In some cases you gotta leave the hose. We may not be able to pick the hose that’s on the ground because it’s frozen to the ground," said Fullum.
It's just not fire and rescue, agencies like Atlanta Police Department are also making sure their officers are prepared for the brutal temperatures.
"A lot of it is really layering up, we’re fortunate to be able to for most of our calls in and out of the cold we’re not out there for an extended period be able to be back in our patrol car," explained APD Sgt. John Chafee.
Chafee said if they do have any calls where officers have to be on scene for an extended period of time, they'll rotate officers out to keep them warm.
All agencies are encouraging people to stay vigilant, be prepared and to stay safe.
Fullum said Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are their second and third busiest days for fire calls during the entire year.
He also mentioned they partner with MARTA in the instance of a large scale fire that impacts a number of citizens. He said if they do have an apartment fire where several units are damaged they will use MARTA buses to get residents out of the cold and to a warming center until they can find further assistance.
"We just need everybody to make sure they’re safe this time of the year," said Fullum.