Drug overdose calls outpace fire reports in 2021 as Saskatoon Fire Department sees role expand
CBC
The number of emergency calls to the Saskatoon Fire Department climbed again in 2021, but only 30 per cent of them were to report a fire, Chief Morgan Hackl says.
The fire service's role in the community is expanding, Hackl says, noting his crews responded to more medical emergencies than fires in the past year.
By year's end, Hackl says, the fire department will have handled about 20,000 service calls in 2021, including more than 800 overdose calls, a significant increase since 2019.
Since 2016, he says, emergency response calls have jumped.
"Since 2016 … our business has increased by over 40 per cent in terms of emergency response, and we go to all types of calls ... not just fires, and not just those motor-vehicle collisions. There's many different kinds of incidents where it's around mental wellness, the overall wellness and well-being of a person," Hackl said.
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