Crypto News: When it feels like -45 degrees

Hi, it's Immanual in Minnesota. When winter storms hit here, emergency workers have a challenge getting to people in need. I dug into how they do that. But first…

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Minnesota is no stranger to extreme winter weather. The bomb cyclone that hit before Christmas dumped more than 8 inches (20.3 centimeters) of snow in parts of the state with a wind chill as low as -45F (-42.8C) in some towns.

As I stayed warm inside, I wondered how local rescue workers were coping with emergencies during the storm. I decided to investigate.

I learned that the response model requires a lot of coordination between fire departments, police officers, Emergency Medical Services and even public works systems. In Burnsville, a town just south of Minneapolis, the fire department has a shared radio channel with public works. They can use that channel to request a snow plow be sent out to clear the road ahead of a fire truck responding to an emergency, according to BJ Jungmann, the Burnsville fire chief.

Cities like Burnsville are now buying ambulances with four-wheel drive. In addition, ambulance workers are also equipped with shovels and salt to battle snowy and icy roads, Tom Edminson, chief of EMS at Fairview Health Services, told me.

Coordination is especially important when medical emergencies happen in the middle of nowhere where there aren't roads. Some fire departments use all-terrain vehicles or snowmobiles to transport people back to paved roads that are accessible to EMS. In some cases, emergency crews use stoke baskets, which are basically sleds, to pull the patients to more accessible locations, according to Edminson.

An ambulance during a snowstorm Photographer: Gary Gardiner/Gary Gardiner/SmallTown Stock

Rescue teams are bulked up during storms and posted strategically so they can respond quickly to emergencies. Fairview Health plans to introduce new software in April that will use artificial intelligence to make better predictions on where trucks should be stationed, Edminson said.

Even before rescue workers arrive, the emergency-line dispatcher is the first line of defense. They can instruct first responders how to help the patient. Police, who typically reach the scene before anyone else, are trained in life-saving procedures. They can keep the patient stabilized until emergency medical services arrive.

We have a role to play too. While not all emergencies can be prevented, advance planning can lead to better outcomes.

"Make sure you have warm gear if you're in a cold environment," Jungmann said. "Don't travel unless you need to and be prepared for things. What if your heat goes out? Do you have extra food supplies at home? Do you have water?" — Immanual John Milton

Covid-19 wasn't high on the list of health terms searched on Google this past year, as people were looking more for answers related to physical and mental recovery, according to CNN.

A measles outbreak is rapidly growing in Ohio involving unvaccinated children, the Washington Post reports.

Some infectious disease experts think we should mask up again as multiple respiratory diseases are spreading throughout the country, says CNBC.

Ask us anything — well, anything health-related that is! Each week we're picking a reader question and putting it to our network of experts. So get in touch via AskPrognosis@bloomberg.net.