Greenfield Fire talks weather safety as freezing temps, wind chill hit SE Wisconsin

GREENFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- “People don’t really respect the cold as much as they should, especially living in Wisconsin," said Greenfield firefighter and paramedic Justin Young.

The team at Greenfield Fire says the cold can creep up on you and cause a serious and unexpected emergency.

They are already prepared to answer calls as the temperatures drop.

“We prepare for that the best we can with packing our ambulances with extra blankets," Young explained. "We’ve put more bags of IV fluids on our warmers so that if we do get someone that is in need and they do need fluids, we give them warm fluids.”

Young says people often misjudge how long they’ll be outside.

If it’s too long, he says hyperthermia can set in.

“Once you start to shiver, you get confused. And once those shivers stop, that’s when a medical emergency kind of starts, at that point.”

The pandemic has also changed how Greenfield Fire responds to calls for help.

They wear N95 masks and upgraded eye protection. They also have added more PPE, especially on calls for a COVID-19 positive patient.

Doctors say hypothermia can happen in as little as 10-15 minutes.