LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — An up-close look at how winter weather is making emergency responses more difficult throughout central Arkansas was provided by a ride-along with a Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services ambulance.

Over the course of the weekend, MEMS has increased staffing and added more ambulances online, placing many units farther out in more difficult-to-reach areas to help speed up response times while the icy conditions persisted.

Crews identified abandoned cars as one of the biggest risks they face on the roads during the ride-along.

“The biggest thing I’ve seen today is when people get stuck in the road they’re just abandoning their vehicle and then that becomes a hazard for the other drivers,” one MEMS crew member said.

MEMS claims that despite some difficulties, the volume of emergency calls has stayed comparatively low thus far, enabling the availability of more units. Jaime Brown, the operations shift supervisor for MEMS operations, demonstrated the agency’s live response map and described how crews are tracked in real time.

“So all of the green units are available and on post, the red units, the one’s tagged in red are on emergencies, the one’s in yellow aren’t on emergency, the ones in white are out of service for various reasons,”

Many of the units on the response map showed green and available, but Brown said conditions could quickly change as more drivers return to the roads.

“When restaurants start to open back up and more stores are open, they’ll get out to venture for supplies or just because they’re tired of being in the house,” Brown said. “Then there’s more traffic on the road, then about dark it starts to ice back over — that’s when we really see the increase in accidents again.”

As crews navigate slick roads, Brown said balancing speed and safety remains a constant challenge.

“It’s hard to manage sometimes, between the radio traffic, watching the other drivers on the road, and then just watching for the icy conditions yourself,” he said.

MEMS officials say fewer vehicles on the road make it easier for ambulances to reach emergencies and help keep call volume down.

“If you don’t have to be out, don’t get out,” said MEMS Operations Director Chris Marshall. “I mean the roads are not the best, even though the road crews have been working night and day they’re still not the best. If you don’t have to get out stay at home. If you do have to get out, just use extreme caution.”

First responders are urging anyone who must travel to avoid overconfidence on icy roads and to carry an emergency kit in case conditions worsen.