Saskatoon’s overdose crisis takes a toll on first responders

Saskatoon’s ongoing overdose crisis is causing exhaustion among first responders and putting a strain on resources, according to Medavie Health Services West and Prairie Harm Reduction.

Saskatoon paramedics have recently gone from seeing about 30 overdoses a week to seeing upwards of 200 overdoses a week, according to Kyle Sereda, chief of paramedic services with Medavie Health Services West-Saskatoon.

Sereda said the uptick in overdoses is putting pressure on resources.

“It takes away some of our ability to respond to other calls more quickly than we would like, as these are the highest of equity calls,” he said in an interview with CTV News.

The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) said it responded to roughly 252 overdose incidents from March 1 to 12. SFD noted those numbers reflect specific incidents, not the number of overdose patients at a call, saying there have been multiple calls with more than one overdose patient.

Prairie Harm Reduction said it has tested a brownish-red substance found to contain up to 30 per cent Fentanyl, which is causing multiple overdoses.

The provincial government recently activated the “Provincial Emergency Operations Centre” to fill gaps in communication and help support organizations that are dealing with overdoses.

During a press conference on Thursday, Premier Scott Moe said the government is also going to focus on cracking down on drug crime.

“We need to get the drug dealers off our streets, and enforcement is very much part of our focus in ensuring our communities are safe,” Moe told reporters on Thursday.

Prairie Harm Reduction said it needs more medically trained people to help respond to the overdoses.

“My team cannot continue to do this. We don’t have the supplies, we don’t have the capacity, and the emotional wear that it is having on the staff is unbelievable,” executive director Kayla DeMong said in an interview with CTV News.

DeMong said the safe consumption site has been handing out hundreds of naloxone kits – a medication that temporarily reverses the effects of an overdose.

In many cases people have needed four to five rounds of naloxone and oxygen to be revived, according to the Ministry of Health.