Michael Joel-Hansen
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The union representing Saskatoon firefighters is calling for government action as its members are responding to a “surge” of drug overdoses.
The City of Saskatoon said the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to 301 calls as of April 19. The number of calls for the year currently sits at 810, compared to 991 at this time last year.
“Our firefighters are showing up, saving lives, and doing everything that’s asked of them,” said Jay Protz, president of IAFF Saskatoon Firefighter Local 80.
“But they cannot continue to absorb this level of demand without additional support.”
Firefighters said they are increasingly being dispatched to medical emergencies involving suspected overdoses, many of which are life-threatening and require major intervention.
The firefighters union is calling the situation a “provincial health emergency” and said local services are being stretched by the current level of calls.
The association said if this pace continues, it could impact overall response times.
“We need meaningful provincial involvement to ensure our members can continue to protect the public,” Protz said.
That includes increased funding for front-line emergency services, along with expanding access to addiction and mental health supports.
There are also calls for the development of a “coordinated strategy” to addresses the root causes of the overdose epidemic.
Government says it’s committed to more treatment spaces
Saskatoon Centre NDP MLA Betty Nippi-Albright, opposition critic for mental health and addictions, said the province should be doing more to hire around 100 workers who lost their jobs when Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR), which ran a supervised drug consumption site on 20th Street, ceased operations last month.
According to the fire department, 20 per cent of the overdose calls they responded to between April 1 and 19 were within five blocks of the former PHR site. As of April 14, the distribution of overdoses in that area was 30 per cent.
“Now, just days after that closure, we see that our hospitals are overrun and our front-line workers can’t keep up,” she said in a statement sent out Monday.
In an emailed statement, the health ministry said it is monitoring addictions-related emergency calls along with emergency room visits in Saskatoon.
A spokesperson pointed to the government’s action plan for addictions and mental health, specifically the government’s commitment to add 500 additional treatment spaces. The ministry said 312 of these spaces are now operational.
They include 40 mobile withdrawal management spaces with Medavie in Saskatoon, along with 17 spaces at Carter House Family Treatment Centre. The province also pointed to 32 intensive outpatient treatment spots at Possibility Recover Centre and 42 virtual spaces at EHN Canada.
So far, the ministry said the City of Saskatoon has not requested assistance from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA).
Last March, the SPSA activated the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre in response to more than 300 opioid overdoses in a two-week span.
In its statement, the government reiterated its priority to expand treatment to get people help through a “recovery” oriented system of care.
