Relentless overdose calls take a toll on Saskatoon firefighters: Union rep

A “normal” shift at Fire Hall Number One in downtown Saskatoon, used to mean responding to between five and 10 overdose calls.

Over the last six weeks or so, firefighter Jayden Poirier said that number’s jumped to anywhere between 15 and 20 overdoses per shift.

According to the latest statistics from the Saskatoon Fire Department, since February 25, crews have responded to at least 300 overdose calls, as well as multiple suspicious deaths.

Several alerts have also been issued by Prairie Harm Reduction and from the Ministry of Health.

Because of the drug situation happening in Saskatoon right now, the Saskatchewan Government has had to open a Provincial Emergency Operations Centre – which will allow government ministries and organizations to help respond to all the overdose calls.

As the busiest fire hall in the city, Poirier, who’s also the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 80 union representative, said the huge spike in overdose calls is leading to burnout.

“We’re seeing firefighters with emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue and loss of empathy. These are all feelings of burnout or leading toward burnout,” he said.

A Saskatoon fire truck leaves Fire Hall Number One on a suspected overdose call (Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

On any given shift, firefighters are going from homes to businesses, to streets, parking lots and everywhere in between.

“When we show up there’s usually a group of people flagging us down that have either found this individual or they’re with them when this happened.

“A lot of times these scenes are a risk to personal safety, whether it just be the state of the area; dirty, not well-kept conditions. We have to look out for discarded needles. We also have to look out for foreign substances like white powders and the drugs that could be there that could be a risk to first responders,” he described.

They’re also preparing themselves for aggression and hostility when some users are brought back from the brink of death.

“People are waking up from these overdoses and being openly hostile and aggressive towards the first responders, and it’s really challenging because you’re trying to help these people,” he said.

Many times he said there is a large group of people surrounding the person overdosing, wondering why they aren’t “waking up” faster.

“All these people yelling at you, ‘Wake him up, wake him up. What are you guys doing, hurry up!’ It can be a lot, and it just adds to the toll,” he said.

It’s also not uncommon for some people who are overdosing to still have hospital wristbands from a previous overdose and treatment hours earlier.

“It feels like a systemic failure when we are seeing the repeat people over and over again,” he said.

Poirier said it’s not uncommon for most, if not all of the trucks at the Number One fire hall to be out on overdose calls. And because ambulances must transport patients to hospitals, firefighters have to remain at the scene until an ambulance arrives to take over care of the patient.

He fears that calls could be lost, or delayed if the call volume continues the way it has been for the last several weeks.

“There will be times when we’ll be here, and a truck from the north end, or further on the west side is screaming into downtown to do calls that we can’t get to,” he explained.

Supporting other firefighters, and watching out for one another is something Poirier said the teams are doing. He said sometimes it can be difficult for an individual to recognize when they’re burnt out.

“When I get to work, or when I’m on shift and I’m sitting beside the guy in the next seat, the firefighter… We’re paying attention to each other, we’re checking in on each other,” Poirier said.

“If I’m noticing things,  I’m making sure that individual’s taking time to seek help.”

However, he said the trend over the last several weeks is troubling.

“It’s the new normal, and it’s not O.K.”