Saskatoon paramedics respond to hundreds of long weekend calls

From assaults to car crashes, Saskatoon paramedics were kept extremely busy over the August long weekend.

MD Ambulance responded to 256 calls between Friday and Monday morning, up from 180 during the July long weekend.

“It’s one of these (high call) weekends we’re starting to see more of just due to the fact that we have a lot more people in and around our city,” public affairs director Troy Davies said.

Calls included eight car crashes, two rural road rollovers with minor injuries, eight trauma calls, a near drowning, and several medical calls including falls and overdoses.

Davies said he’s glad the number of serious car crashes was low but encouraged everyone to stay safe on the road during their drive home.

Davies said busy weekends can sometimes put a strain on resources, but they also affect workers. Paramedics work 12 hour shifts, may miss breaks and lunches, and may deal with high stress and disturbing situations.

“There’s been a lot of conversations on the strain on a paramedic and anybody else who is in emergency services from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). So we do keep an eye on our staff on weekends like this,” he said. “No one says this is an easy job by any means but it’s one that’s rewarding because you see a lot of bad calls but you see a lot of good calls as well.”

However Davies said anyone who is unsure if they should call paramedics in an emergency should err on the side of caution and call 9-1-1.