The recent inclement weather has been hard on AMED workers, according to agency Executive Director Gary Watters, speaking after a meeting Monday.

The problem is snow and ice on sidewalks and exterior stairways, often on the properties of elderly or sick individuals who can’t easily clear those walkways — and who tend to be over-represented among AMED patients, according to Watters.

No workers or patients have been hurt so far this winter due to the frozen precipitation, but the issue is concerning enough that Watters hesitated to share that bit of good news, for fear of calling forth a jinx.

AMED ambulances sometimes carry salt, but not shovels, because there isn’t room, according to Watters.

Sometimes management sends a second ambulance on calls at problem properties, for the additional manpower, but that isn’t ideal because it can cause delays in answering other calls, he said.

The gurneys the workers use can be difficult to operate on stairways and on uneven ground, according to Watters.

They weigh 110 pounds empty and become hard to handle when a heavy patient is onboard, he said.

In recent years, AMED workers have been encountering more and more walkways untended after snow and ice storms, Watters said.

It would be even more of a problem if not for charitable neighbors who sometimes shovel for people who can’t do it themselves, Watters said.

The recent ice storm, which was followed by snow, then rain, then plunging temperatures Sunday evening and Monday that refroze the mess, has made things challenging for everyone, Watters said.

Cars sliding off I-99 Sunday evening only added to the problems, he said.