With a rise in COVID-19 cases the Grand Island Fire Department and other emergency services across Hall County are seeing a big uptick in emergency calls. It’s causing their staff to be stretched thin on top of some of their staff being infected with the virus. Over the last 30 days the GIFD has responded to 165 COVID related calls. That is 120 more calls than they had during that period last year. On a single day in November they had 15 COVID calls which is the highest they have seen during the pandemic. As more units respond to those calls it has impacted how they can respond to other emergencies. “We’re very busy normally and these extra calls have added to their workload,” Fire Chief Corey Schmidt said. “It’s really a juggling act and we’re stretched very, very thin.”