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Bostonians Try To Be Safe As They Battle Cold Temperatures

BOSTON (CBS) - These are the toughest days on the job for Bostonian Hotel doorman Tom Arciero.

Out in the cold and layered up, he still needs his hands exposed.

"It's very difficult to work with gloves. I put them on periodically, but when you're dealing with guests, it's almost impossible to have gloves on," said Arciero, who is working a 15-hour shift outside the hotel.

Bundling up was the order of the day with temperatures barely above the single digits.

extremecold
(WBZ-TV)

Delivery driver Mike Packard is in and out of his truck as much as 30 times a day, and even his load of soda is cold.

"I have on about six or seven layers. If my body stops moving, I have to make it move," said Packard. "My thought process is not to think about it."

It's an extreme weather day for Boston Emergency Medical Services, which means cold-related calls are on the increase. Even if the calls aren't just about the cold, anyone who needs help outside is a top priority.

"If the temperature is dangerously, low we don't just worry about a sprained ankle, we worry about frostbite," said EMT Susan Schiller.

At South Station crews answered the call for a person becoming ill who refused to be transported, which becomes another concern: not leaving anyone out in the cold.

"We always want to check to make sure they're safe and have a way of staying safe. If those metrics are met, we're happy to let them go on their way," said Schiller.

Of course, there are those who embrace the cold, like a couple of tourists from Brazil taking selfies at Faneuil Hall and not minding a little change in the weather.

"We never have snow and cold. We have the beach and the sun, things are very different for us," said Adalson Chagas.

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