MEMPHIS, Tenn. — If you need an ambulance in Memphis, you may be waiting a while. That’s according to Memphis Fire Director Gina Sweat.
During Thursday’s Memphis and Shelby County COVID-19 Joint Task Force briefing, Dir. Sweat said the EMS system is taxed, and first responders are “running on fumes.”
Sweat said compared to last summer, they are answering about 100 more calls each day – about 23% more than last year - and August could be the busiest month in the history of MFD.
With the number of calls to 911 up, that means it could take longer for dispatchers to answer. The increased number of calls also impacts response times and ambulance availability for emergencies.
Sweat also said it averages about an hour and a half to offload a patient from an ambulance. Last year, the average was about an hour.
All of this means the ambulance may take longer to get to you when you call for help.
Dir. Sweat said if you think an ambulance ride will get you treated sooner, it won’t. And if you don’t NEED an ambulance to get to the hospital, you should go yourself.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland also said some people are waiting 24 hours to be seen at emergency rooms because of the increase in patients.
Officials did not break down whether the increase in calls and ambulance times was all due to the recent COVID-19 surge.