Moncton Fire Department vehicle repurposed to address surging overdose calls

A Moncton Fire Department vehicle has been repurposed to address overdose calls.

The chief of the Moncton Fire Department is hoping its new rapid response vehicle will help alleviate some of the stress placed on crews due to the recent spike in overdose calls.

Chief Conrad Landry said the vehicle is a smaller truck manned by two crew members as opposed to a regular four-person crew on the much larger tanker and pumper trucks.

“It can go to assist on fires or extractions or stuff like that, but it’s primary role is to go to medical calls,” said Landry. “Including overdose.”

The department has responded to 290 overdose or drug poisoning calls from May 29 to June 14.

Since May 29, the department has responded to 23 calls in a day on two occasions.

The recent average has been five calls per day.

Landry said the rapid response vehicle will help reduce the stress on the bigger fire trucks and the crews that man them.

While the medical calls tie up resources, they also have a big impact on the mental health of firefighters.

“Not just the amount of calls but seeing these people struggling. You arrive on a scene, someone is unconscious. You’re wondering what happened in their life to get to bring them to this level,” said Landry.

Lt. Neil McGillis said all the extra calls have taken a toll on the firefighters and the department in general.

“I’ve been to calls where we’ve had two units at the same address because the first units arrived, there’s been an overdose and we’ve witnessed the second one, but we’re tied up working on the first person. So yeah, it’s been a lot,” said McGillis.

Harvest House executive director Leon Baker told CTV News his front-line teams have responded to 428 toxic overdose responses between June 1 and June 14.

Baker said 50 per cent of those needed naloxone administered.

Ambulance New Brunswick has responded to 303 overdose calls between May 29 and June 15.

Staff at agencies in Moncton that help the city’s homeless population have told CTV News there has been one fatal overdose since May 29.

Landry said the initial plan was to put the rapid response vehicle into service on July 1, but because of the staggering increase in overdose and drug poisoning calls it began Friday evening.

The men and women staffing the vehicle 24/7 are working overtime shifts until a new batch of recruits finish their training at the end of the month.

“Because we had to put this into service a little earlier than expected, this is staffed by overtime until the new firefighters are ready,” said Landry.

The City of Moncton is paying for the overtime, but Landry said they’ve been in discussions with the province to see if funding is available.

Landry said the truck has all the medical equipment one could imagine.

“Oxygen, some Narcan of course, it’s got a spinal board in case someone gets hurt on a trauma,” said Landry.

The rapid response vehicle will mainly serve the city’s core, Landry said.

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