New Year is around the corner, and we’re waiting for it with worries, said the Director of Latvian Emergency Medical Service (NMPD) Liene Cipule in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma.
“We’re waiting for New Year’s with worries because residents tend to consume alcohol on this holiday. There is also increased risk of various injuries,” said Cipule.
Nevertheless, Cipule said the past holiday was relatively peaceful.
NMPD representative Laura Bērziņa previously told LETA that Latvia celebrated Christmas peacefully and responsibly. She said ambulance crews were not called in to assist with any holiday-related accidents or injuries.
Generally the Christmas holiday was passed without any emergencies for NMPD to deal with. There were no particularly notable cases. The number of calls did not go up on the holiday – numbers were not different to everyday shifts.
Although one holiday is over, a new holiday is around the corner – New Year’s celebration. Every year ambulances are dispatched to assist people who were injured by fireworks due to their recklessness or due to alcohol.
Injuries include lacerated wounds and extensive body burns, facial injuries with bone fractures, eye damage and problems with vision, wrist damage with shattered fingers and amputations, fractures and other injuries. In addition, injuries are suffered not only by adults, but also by children and young people who are left without adult supervision, Berzina emphasized.
NMPD wishes residents to stay safe and for them to keep their relatives and friends safe to ensure New Year’s celebration results in memories that last a lifetime, not injuries.
Also read: Drunk driving: Police in Latvia catch many drunk drivers during Christmas
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Emergency Medical Service awaits New Year’s celebrations with worries
