Fire departments in Saskatchewan’s two largest cities had a busy year, but they didn’t just respond to fire calls.
Regina Fire and Protective Services and the Saskatoon Fire Department have revealed the number of calls they have answered so far this year.
Regina fire crews have responded to 928 fire calls so far this year.
“It’s been a very busy year,” said Layne Jackson, Regina Fire Marshal. “We’ve seen an increase in our emergency incident calls, so they kept our teams busy throughout the year.”
But that’s not what is keeping Regina Fire & Protective Services busy this year. In 2021, Regina Fire’s team has responded to 1,238 suspected drug overdoses so far.
Read more:
There is no criminal aspect in the death of a house fire in Regina: police
“We sure have seen an increase in suspected overdose incidents,” Chief Jackson said. “We have also seen an increase in the types of fires [that are] high risk fires and serious consequences “.
Regina’s fire marshal says increased call volume affects first responders and firefighters.
“It wears out and wears out,” he said. “I am very proud of our emergency services and our entire team … the quality of service and professionalism have remained very high during this period of high demand.”
It has been a year in which the department’s role in the community is once again expanding to cover a variety of emergencies.
Crews were called to more medical situations than fires last year.
Saskatoon Fire Chief Morgan Hackl says one area where they’ve seen a dramatic increase for a couple of years is overdose calls.
“More than 21 percent increase in 2021,” Hackl said. “It is very worrying. With those overdose calls, more than 800 of them. “
Hackl says crews have responded to roughly 20,000 calls in 2021, and 30 percent of them are fire-related.
“That is a significant jump from 2019,” Hackl said.
Read more:
Accidental Mall Fire Causes $ 500K in Damage, Saskatoon Fire Department Says
Since 2016, the department has received 40% more emergency response calls. The rest are vehicle collisions, with a large portion of the calls related to people’s medical, mental health and general well-being.
“Now is the time to care for the homeless as it is winter.”
© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Reference-globalnews.ca