Micaiah Matson, 21, of Butler, and James Natali, 24, of Evans City, execute an ambulance inventory on Labor Day at Butler Ambulance Service in Butler. The crew said there are approximately 5-6 trucks with 11 staff members for the holiday shift. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle

The rainy Labor Day was not synonymous with rest for local first responders; it was just another day on the job.

Firefighters, ambulance paramedics and 911 dispatchers were hard at work Monday, and said there were increasing difficulties that came with staffing a holiday crew.

Across the board, first responders, such as Rob McLafferty, 911 coordinator at the county dispatch center, answered about the same amount of emergency responses as on holidays like Labor Day.

“Generally, we’re slower on holidays. Less folks traveling out on the roadway, out doing things. Especially in the morning there is not as many people out doing risky behaviors,” he said.

Comparing 10:30 a.m. statistics from Monday, Aug. 29, to the same time on Labor Day, McLafferty said there was a 36% decrease in 911 calls.

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