The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.

The surge of COVID-19 patients is not only putting a strain on hospitals, but it’s also testing emergency medical services' ability to respond. The 911 calls are on the rise, and an increasing number of them are COVID-19 patients. First responders are doing their best to make sure they’re able to care for everyone in our region.

“We’ve had a 13% call increase this year, which equates to about 300 more calls than last year already,” said Jason Czora, Hartford Fire Department deputy chief.

Chris Christopoulos is Lebanon Fire Department’s chief, and they’re having big increases as well.

“We’re seeing a pretty big spike this year, all in all, for us, I’d say we’re averaging at least eight to 10 potential COVID patients a week in terms of what we’re transporting right now,” Christopoulos said.

Operating through a pandemic, they have to treat every patient like they have the potential to spread the virus. Meaning there is necessary downtime between calls.

“We have a fogging machine that kills everything inside the ambulance and germs or viruses,” Czora said.

The cleaning tool sprays out the disinfectant and then the ambulances can’t go anywhere while the spray is inside. This process takes at least 30 minutes to complete.

Hartford staffs two full-time ambulances, Lebanon has been staffing 3 ambulances with the surge. Because of the extra calls, first responders have more of a workload.

“It’s added more stress to being a provider here, it makes your job more difficult, and worrying about what you could be bringing home to your family,” Troy Collins, a Hartford paramedic, said.

Ambulances in the Upper Valley primarily take patients to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Where they’ve been experiencing a surge of COVID-19 patients in the emergency room.

“Somedays we might be there waiting with a patient for 45 minutes to get a bed, sometimes it might be five,” Czora said.

This adds to the time they’re not able to care for other patients. Only three Lebanon firefighters have tested positive for COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. No Hartford first responders have tested positive, but if they do, they should be able to get back to work quickly

“I’m kind of encouraged that the isolation period from the CDC is gonna reduce,” Christopoulos said. “That will help us to manage that a little more effectively.”

Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.