Arlington , Virginia ( CNN ) -- The mantra in Washington during the current winter storm is `` stay home , '' but some doctors and nurses really do need to get to hospitals to take care of the sick . So , many of them rely on a group of hardy volunteer drivers for transport . Adrian Stanton was running Virginia Hospital Center 's command center Wednesday morning , coordinating the driver pickups and drop-offs . He described the volunteer drivers as `` unbelievable saviors for us . '' One of those volunteers is Scott Long , who left his home at 6 a.m. to pick up two nurses before heading to the hospital , where he picked up another nurse to take her home . Long initially said he does it because he thinks it 's the right thing to do . But he later admitted he also does it because it he enjoys it . `` My wife can stay with the kids . I get to play in the snow and nobody can yell at me for being out driving in the snow , '' he told CNN . `` I had a police officer the first day pull up at a stoplight and yell at me for being on the road . I told him I was driving for the hospital and he laughed and said , 'Well then , have fun . ' '' Long drives a 1995 Jeep Wrangler for his pick-ups . He says he likes the Jeep better than his four-wheel drive . `` The reason is the short wheel base . I can actually turn around in a single lane in traffic , whereas if I had my bigger four-wheel drive , it does n't turn around and it 's not as nimble , '' he said . As Long was making that point , his Jeep started sliding sideways along the road . But he did n't miss a beat as he regained control . `` Like where we just slid out there , the Jeep can handle it better than the truck , '' he said . The volunteer drivers are offered a gas voucher from the hospital , but Stanton said most of them turn it down . Stanton has an active list of about 30 people who drive for the hospital during inclement weather . Wednesday morning he said the drivers had done somewhere near 50 pick-ups and drop-offs in the previous 24 hours . The hospital workers appreciate the volunteer drivers . `` I did n't have any other options , '' said James Schmidt . He heard about the rides from e-mails and texts that the hospital sent to its employees . One intensive-care nurse said she had driven herself to work the past few days . `` I do n't know how I made it , '' she said , adding , `` God bless '' the drivers . One night-shift supervisor named Lynne said she received a ride from Long on Thursday morning . She lives only a few miles from the hospital , but did n't think she would be able to make it home in the snow . Lynne said , `` This is worse than ... '' Long finished her sentence : `` ... anything so far . ''
About 30 people drive for Virginia Hospital Center during inclement weather . Hospital transport coordinator : Volunteer drivers are `` unbelievable saviors for us '' One volunteer , Scott Long , got up at 6 a.m. to begin shuttling hospital workers . Long : `` I get to play in the snow and nobody can yell at me for being out driving in the snow ''