Solar Eclipse Considerations for EMS

As many of you know, there will be a coast-to-coast eclipse of the sun August 21. You’ve received lots of good advice to not look at the sun without a protective filter. But from an EMS standpoint, what else could go wrong?

Along the path of the eclipse, especially where it’s total, it will get very dark. A couple of things to point out with this:

1. People will get distracted. They will get distracted while driving and while walking. Nothing good ever comes out of distracted driving. It will be safe to assume that somewhere, someone will try to drive a vehicle with eclipse glasses on. This will reduce their visibility when not looking in the direction of the sun to a few feet, if not inches. Yes—while driving.

2. People will want to take and post photos. With clear skies, social media activity will certainly increase; I’ll bet there will be some terrific photos. Refer back to the first point on distractions. Roads along the path of the eclipse will have lots more traffic. Again, distracted drivers.

3. Location, location, location. Lots of people will travel to get under the footprint of the eclipse. There will be “hot spots” for viewing—southern Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee in particular. Oregon is preparing for a million visitors. Traffic could be a mess as people jockey for the best viewing sites.

4. It’s going to get dark—like, middle-of-the-night dark in some places. It won’t matter much if the skies are clear or cloudy. Depending on where you are, it could get stunningly dark! Everyone knows to turn on your headlights when you drive at night, but with the relative speed of eclipse over the ground, people could be less likely to remember. Driving in the dark with no headlights—you do the math.

5. Animals could get confused. Dogs and cats have circadian rhythms just like people and could be confused or anxious and thus aggressive.

6. There’s a potential for eye injuries. The guidance is to not look at the sun. It will be tempting for folks to sneak a peek without glasses, adults and children alike. What can result is essentially a retinal burn, and such patients should seek immediate medical care. Be prepared for these 9-1-1 calls.

7. Be aware of timing. My personal experience with motor-vehicle collisions is that they occur more often as it’s starting to rain than when it’s been raining all day. Drivers seem slow to recognize the change in road conditions and do not adapt. This might apply to the onset of eclipse darkness as well. I’d expect more accidents at the beginning of the eclipse than the end.

Do an Internet search for interactive eclipse map as one resource to determine how much your area will be affected, along with the timing. In the St. Louis area, it will start at 12:50 in the afternoon, peak at 2:18 and end at 3:44 local time. My guess is that in St. Louis, 1–2 p.m. will be especially tricky for EMS. Please note that all the above distractions or effects could apply to the EMTs, paramedics and firefighters working in the field that day.

Be safe on August 21st!

Dick Blanchet, BS, MBA, worked as a paramedic for Abbott EMS in St. Louis, Mo., and Illinois for more than 22 years. He was also a captain with Atlas Air for 22 years and a USAF pilot for 22 years.