Holidays keep paramedics busy

By David Waite
Advertiser Staff Writer

" 'Tis the season to be extra busy, if you're a city paramedic.

According to city Emergency Medical Service logs, 172 calls were received between 11 p.m. Christmas Eve and 11 p.m. Christmas Day from people asking for help.

Help for people with breathing problems, or for those who were described as being sick in general, topped the list with 25 calls each.

City ambulances and paramedics also responded to 12 traffic-accident calls, 11 assault calls, 11 calls for unconscious people, nine for chest pain, eight fall cases, eight for suspected strokes and seven seizures in the 24-hour period.

Also on the list were six calls for trauma, five for abdominal pain, five for diabetic problems, four for allergic reactions, four for back pain, four for cardiac arrest, four for drug overdoses and four for people suffering from psychiatric problems.

Other calls included one for an animal in pain, one burn case, one choking incident, one drowning, one eye problem, two headache cases, two hemorrhage cases, one pregnancy-related problem, a stabbing and six cases in which the ailment was unknown.

And in three cases, city emergency medical technicians arrived to find the people already dead.

"We staffed up for Christmas and we'll be staffing up again for New Year's Eve," said Donnie Gates, assistant Emergency Medical Services chief.

Gates said he expects the number of emergency calls to be even greater on New Year's Eve.

"There seems to be a lot more partying on New Year's Eve compared to Christmas, which is a little more restrained, family-type celebration," Gates said.

Paramedics helped deal with Christmas Day calls by keeping the Makakilo EMS unit staffed for a full 24 hours and equipping a "rapid response" van stationed in downtown Honolulu with a second paramedic so that it could be used to transport patients.

Reach David Waite at 525-8090 or at dwaite@honoluluadvertiser.com.