How EMS Prepares for a Season of Extreme Weather
One of the great pastimes in New England is complaining about the weather. Usually that means a winter that won’t leave until April. But as much as people look forward to the thaw and eventual beach weather, few embrace the types of extreme temps that we’ve experienced this month. Beyond being uncomfortable, it can be dangerous.
Boston alone saw 84 heat related calls over a single four day stretch around the July 4th weekend, with feels-like temperatures reaching 115 degrees. Severe heat isn’t the only issue. Flash floods and severe storms often bookend the summer. For EMS crews, this is not background noise. It lands on top of every other call they were already running. Some agencies report a 10 to 15 percent increase in calls to 911 during heat waves, and that surge hits crews who are already stretched.
When temps skyrocket into the high 90s and 100s, the calls that come in are heat stroke, severe dehydration, and heat related cardiac events. Extreme heat is now the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States, with roughly 2,000 deaths recorded annually according to the CDC, and an estimated 70,000 people visiting emergency rooms each year for heat related illness. The populations hit hardest are elderly residents, outdoor workers, and people in lower income neighborhoods without reliable access to air conditioning.
The high temps also drive people to the water to cool off, and that creates a second wave of calls. Massachusetts has no shortage of ponds, rivers, pools. and coastal water that draw swimmers the moment the heat sets in. Research has shown that drowning risk increases seven percent for every 1.8° rise in daily maximum temperatures. Open water presents dangers that even confident swimmers can underestimate, including cold water shock, hidden currents, and sudden drop-offs. Too often people who really can’t swim test the limits and it results in tragedy. EMS crews respond to these calls every summer, often in conditions that are already pushing the limits of safe operation.
When flash floods and severe storms move through, the danger shifts again. Flooded streets and downed power lines create hazards that are not always visible. Electrocution from contact with downed power lines is a documented cause of death following hurricanes and flooding events, according to the CDC. Downed lines can energize the ground up to 35 feet away, putting both civilians and first responders at serious risk before anyone realizes the danger. Massachusetts saw flash flood warnings and tornado watches earlier this summer, a reminder that severe weather here is no longer limited to the coast or to hurricane season.
How Massachusetts EMS Is Preparing
Agencies across the state are updating protocols, cross training for climate driven scenarios, and building stronger coordination with hospitals, utility companies, water rescue teams, and emergency management partners. This is not optional. FEMA now explicitly requires emergency managers to plan for climate related emergencies as part of federal preparedness funding guidelines, stating that emergency managers must learn to manage and support climate related emergencies such as drought and extreme heat. That mandate flows directly to the providers on the ground in every Massachusetts community.
What Still Needs to Happen
Preparation takes resources. It takes investment in updated equipment, crew wellness support during multi day weather events, and policy that reflects what providers are encountering on the ground. EMS needs to be part of every serious community conversation about climate preparedness, at the local level and the state level. The same heat wave that fills social media with complaints about the humidity is filling dispatch queues and stretching crews thin across Massachusetts.
The Bottom Line
New Englanders are resilient, and so are our EMS providers. Massachusetts crews have always figured out how to meet whatever comes next, and that is not changing. What would help is making sure the funding, the infrastructure, and the public awareness keep pace with what those crews are already doing on the ground every day. Extreme weather is part of our season now. Our providers are ready. The goal is to make sure everything supporting them is too.
