OTTAWA — During this morning’s Franklin County Commission meeting, Sheriff Jeff Richards and EMS director Nick Robbins reviewed their agencies’ efforts during the powerful winter storm that hit the Ottawa Dec. 21. During the height of the ice and snow storm, the sheriff’s department and ambulance service were overwhelmed with more than 100 calls in less than two hours on a 12-mile stretch of I –35, Richards said. Although some of the calls were duplicates, when the number of accidents are finally totalled, Richards said he believes the number will pass 100. Ottawa and Wellsville police and state troopers helped beleaguered deputies, he said. The highway patrol called in troopers from as far away as Wichita, he said. Robbins said all four of his ambulances were called out and he says he had to call other counties for more ambulances. Richards said although many of the accidents resulted in injuries, they were relatively minor because nearly every driver and passenger wore seatbelts.
Monday, Dec. 30, 1 p.m.
