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Saskatoon Fire Dept Overwhelmed by Social Crises
17 May
Summary
- Fire department calls surged 13.2% due to overdose and encampment emergencies.
- Overdose calls nearly doubled, with March alone seeing 509 incidents.
- Encampment fire responses more than doubled, impacting fire inspections.
The Saskatoon Fire Department experienced substantial pressure in the past year, primarily due to escalating issues of homelessness and addiction. This led to a significant increase in calls for service, impacting frontline operations. Overall calls to the department rose by 13.2% to 28,717 compared to the previous year.
The surge was most acutely felt in responses to overdoses, which nearly doubled to 2,512 incidents last year. This trend continued, with 680 overdose calls in a single month, coinciding with the closure of a supervised drug consumption site. Encampment-related fires also saw a dramatic increase, more than doubling to 116 calls from 50 in the prior year, and general encampment responses rose to 1,859.
These increased demands on the fire department resulted in a decrease in essential fire inspections, falling to 1,831 from 2,709 in 2021. The challenges extend to other emergency services, with paramedic chiefs in Saskatchewan reporting doubled calls over the last decade and significant burnout, partly attributed to sustained pressure from overdose incidents.
