Saskatoon overdoses nearly doubled in 2025, fire department says - BERITAJA

Overdoses successful Saskatoon almost doubled successful 2025 compared to the erstwhile year, the city’s occurrence section said successful an yearly report.

The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) reported a stark and important summation successful overdoses past twelvemonth erstwhile compared to 2024 and different humanities information successful its yearly study for metropolis council.

“Between Feb. 25-28 (2025) alone, crews responded to much than 60 overdoses and telephone volumes continued to climb into March, peaking astatine 34 overdoses successful a azygous day. March ended pinch 509 overdose responses, which was much than double the monthly mean from 2024,” the SFD’s recap reads.

The occurrence section was the first to alert the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency of the “unprecedented surge” it said.

This emergence was not constricted to the first half of past year, arsenic the section continued managing cases. Overdoses topped the database of the 10 categories for emergency medical services, it said.

“By the extremity of the year, the SFD had responded to 2,512 overdose incidents — often involving much than 1 diligent — averaging 209 incidents per period and about doubling the 1,281 calls recorded successful 2024,” the section said.

This inclination has not stopped yet this year, arsenic the city was taxable to an overdose advisory aft 150 overdose-related calls were made wrong the first 12 days of April.

As portion of the consequence to the climbing lawsuit count, a temporary overdose outreach paramedic was hired, as per the report.

Last autumn besides saw the description of emergency communications to see telephone taking for the overdose outreach squad and occurrence organization support.

The description provided the overdose outreach teams pinch entree to reliable, direct, power communication, GPS location and existent clip wellness cheque ins, according to the SFD. The group was created by the Ministry of Health successful a aviator task successful 2022.

Ongoing, yearly backing was committed to the task earlier this year.