TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Fire & Rescue Department is dealing with a major jump in calls and it's taking a toll on the county's EMS system and hospitals.
The department is asking you to consider whether your call is an actual emergency or something that can be treated at home before dialing 911.
"Last several days have been very taxing throughout Lucas County and all fire-based EMS systems in regards to the number of calls that we've seen. What causes that? Any number of things," said Pvt. Sterling Rahe, the public information officer for the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department.
Health experts say we're seeing a spike in COVID cases. But Toledo fire responds to a bit of everything.
"An uncertainty and a lot of unknowns when we go on scene," said Matt Butler, a paramedic with TFRD.
That uncertainty multiplies when several or sometimes all of Lucas County hospitals end up on what's called EMS bypass, which means they no longer accept patients.
That's unless all hospitals are on bypass or RED alert, and then dispatchers have no choice as all hospitals are then forced to reopen.
"When we're going to a scene, right now Lucas County dispatch is giving us a hospital. When we get on scene they're telling us what hospital we're going to because we are in Red Alert. Because every hospital is on EMS bypass," said Butler.
For example, Butler says when his team responds to a call in South Toledo, UTMC might be the closest, but maybe it's too crowded. Dispatch then has to send the patient to ProMedica Flower Hospital in Sylvania.
"A patient may live in a certain part of town and want to go to a certain hospital, but that may not be their choice. We are given the next available hospital based on the medical need as well as the patient capacity load within the system," said Rahe.
Rahe says you can help alleviate the strain by asking yourself if you're really dealing with an emergency.
"We be judicial with the 911 system," Rahe said. "(Try not to call) if you are ill or if you are experiencing minor injuries, things that you can take care of at home. Cold, flu-like symptoms."
Butler says that includes COVID symptoms if they're not severe.
"Some things can be taken care of at home or at a home visit with a nurse. Or have them contact their family physician or say urgent care," said Butler.
While they figure out the best way to balance everything, Rahe says they're also working behind the scenes.
"There are many groups within Lucas County that are strategizing and working to try to figure out the best path for us to take," he said.
That's as first responders continue to serve those all of us with a focus on who needs them most. The main takeaway is if you don't need to call 911 or go to the emergency room, Toledo Fire is asking you not to.
They say you can always go to an urgent care.
And if it's something minor, you may even be able to wait to see your primary care physician.
A ProMedica spokesperson says the worst symptoms of COVID can take up to 12 days to appear. That means anyone who may have come down with COVID on Thanksgiving could be feeling it in the next few days.