A recent round of ice and snow — and freezing temperatures — has transformed some driveways and sidewalks into sheets of glass.

It’s making for a dangerous situation for delivery drivers, emergency medical responders and mail carriers.

For Walter “Wally” Zlomsowitch of K&K Oil of Lehighton, Mother Nature has been making some oil deliveries “horrible.”

“We have what’s called a ‘will-call’ delivery where people call when they need oil, and then we have automatic deliveries where we come out once a month or every six weeks,” he explained.

But when the month of December turned brutally cold, people were caught off guard, he said.

“So then the will-calls were calling, saying that they’re going to run out, and we’re trying to keep up with them plus keep our automatic delivery customers in oil,” Zlomsowitch said.

To make matters even worse, there were snowstorms, ice storms and frigid temperatures that iced over the precipitation.

“You have the country driveways where you can’t get up the sides of the hills,” he said.

The driveways are so slippery that there is no way to safely navigate them.

Zlomsowitch even attempted to back up a driveway, thinking that if the oil truck slid, it would at least slide forward.

“But I just couldn’t do it,” he said.

Zlomsowitch tells his employees to use their own judgment. He doesn’t want them to get severely injured, and he doesn’t want to lose any equipment.

“It’s a shame. If we could just get people to go on automatic delivery, then we can go to certain areas on certain days and keep everyone in oil,” he said. “But people forget to call, and they run out, and you can get 50 or 60 calls a day from people who are running out — or ran out — and you just can’t get to them.”

He advised people to keep an eye on their oil tanks — especially during cold weather.

“December got so cold. Normally you can get six weeks out of your oil, but now you’re only getting four weeks,” Zlomsowitch said. “Let’s pray for a little warmth.”

Don Fegley of Fegley Oil Company, based in South Tamaqua, said he and his employees have seen their share of bad weather impact deliveries in recent weeks.

“Yesterday we had one of our delivery drivers injured pretty severely,” Fegley said on Friday. The man had exited an oil truck and was pulling an oil hose to deliver oil when he slipped and fell.

Fegley said the man is expected to mend but had to be hospitalized.

According to Fegley, equipment can get stuck on iced-over driveways. Freeing an oil truck, he said, typically takes six hours — which pushes back delivery to other customers.

Those who are expecting a delivery, he said, should treat their driveways with salt, cinders — or even sand, he said.

On New Year’s Eve, a Tamaqua Area Ambulance Association Advanced Life Support vehicle became trapped at a patient’s home.

Ambulance officials said the residence was along Ye Olde Hauto Road in Hometown — and its driveway was extremely icy.

Luckily, the Hometown Fire Company and Rush Township resident Elden Neifert came to the rescue.

The patient and a medic were hauled by the company’s UTV to another ambulance for transport, and the driveway was treated for safety.

“Thanks to the teamwork and support of Hometown Fire Company, and Elden Neifert, our ALS unit was ultimately able to clear the scene and return to service,” ambulance officials noted on a social media post.

Icy conditions can even make mail delivery difficult.

Paul F. Smith, a spokesman for the United States Postal Service, reminded customers to clear a path to their mailbox for the safety of carriers — whether it’s the steps to the porch or by the curb.

“In any storm we do our best to attempt deliveries wherever possible,” Smith said.

He noted that carriers want to deliver mail daily.

“It doesn’t get any easier having to deliver two days worth of mail the following day if they can’t safely get you your mailbox,” Smith said. “Picture trying to walk on ice and then adding a satchel with up to 35 pounds on one shoulder and trying to walk. They often go above and beyond especially in the winter for their customers.”

He noted that gone are the days of home visits from the milkman and doctors.

“But our carriers still make house calls,” Smith said. “Please help to keep them safe.”