Firefighters around the region are on alert for the bitter-cold weather headed our way this weekend.

Fire Departments like the one in Williston see an uptick in calls during cold temperatures.

“It doesn’t happen to you until it happens to you,” says John D’alessandro, the Association Secretary for the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY). “Invest a few minutes of your time in your safety and the safety of your family.”

“We are very concerned about people,” says Williston Fire Chief Prescott Nadeau. “The reason we talk about that mentality of oh it won’t happen to me is that when it does, they elicit the use of emergency services which ends up putting a bunch of folks at risk.”

Firefighters like the ones at the Williston Fire Department encourage folks not to go out during the cold weather. But if you do have to, they tell folks to stay warm and zipper up.

“Be concerned about frostbite,” Nadeau says. “You have to pay attention to the signs and symptoms, especially nose, ears fingers, and toes.”

Nadeau also advises folks not to ignore the shiver.

“If you start to shiver, that’s your body telling you you got to get warm,” Nadaeu says.

The Fire Captain adds that carbon monoxide and smoke detectors in your home can save your life.