Health & Fitness
EMS Surge Level I Rolled Out In Howard County Due To Ambulance Shortage
An EMS surge level 1 was issued Thursday night due to a shortage of ambulances. The warning was lifted but hospitals are quite busy.
HOWARD COUNTY, MD — According to the Howard County Fire and Rescue Department, at 6:45 p.m. there were "significantly fewer" ambulances available for medical emergencies.
"Regional hospital emergency departments are strained. We are operating at what is called EMS surge level I, which is reduced capacity. We are taking steps to get ambulances back in service as quickly as possible," officials noted.
Howard County officials asked that residents only call 911 for life-threatening emergencies.
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At 7:45 p.m., the fire and rescue department shared on Facebook that it began operating at a normal level. However, area hospital emergency departments continued to be busy with longer than normal wait times.
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