METHUEN, Mass. — Tuesday was a very busy day for emergency responders.
Ice-related 911 calls had the Methuen Fire Department phones constantly ringing. Fire Chief Tim Sheehy said between 6 a.m. and noon, firefighters responded to 30 ice-related 911 calls, maxing out their fleet.
>> WATCH: School bus full of kids slides down road in Sutton
"We had a gentleman who fell, slipped and fell back on his head. A little contusion and bleeding on his head. He was OK, conscious, alert," said Private Sean Wholley, Methuen Fire Department.
This woman in Methuen broke her scraper trying to clear ice off windshield. We offered our scraper but she said she was ok. It’s bad out here! In just a few hours, @MethuenFire responded to 30 ice related calls. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/HtahT3CjbR
— Stephanie Coueignoux (@StephanieCNews) January 23, 2018
On I-93 north, traffic was reduced to a crawl Tuesday after a car slid into a ditch.
The ice also made it tricky for first responders. Sheehy says one of the fire trucks was heading back form a call, going two miles an hour, when it hit black ice.
"The truck started sliding and slid into a guardrail. No damage to the guardrail, but the bumper of the truck got scratched up a bit," said Sheehy.
Sheehy says he's planning to hire additional firefighters, as well as another ambulance, to be able to respond to all of the ice-related calls.
WATCH THE FORECAST | DOWNLOAD THE APPS
Cox Media Group