“I personally know people who have lost kids to overdose and, you know, it just tears them apart.”
Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun said the city is hiring an additional six full-time firefighters, in part, because of the opioid crisis.
Braun said that last year, the Abbotsford fire service attended more than 9,000 incidents — which represents an increase of almost 50 per cent over the last five years.
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“This isn’t just fire and rescue, the police are facing the same thing. They’re facing things they’ve never had to face before and it’s taking a toll on our first responders,” Braun said.
“We just need to provide some help for them so that they don’t burn out.”
He said the additional demands on the fire department are partly thanks to Abbotsford’s growth, but also the additional calls for service related to the opioid crisis.
“I think the last numbers I saw for Abbotsford were 80 per cent of people overdosing were in homes, so they’re not out on the streets, or in back alleys. Yes, there is some of that, but it’s not the majority,” he said.
READ MORE: Civilians now being trained as first responders in effort to battle opioid crisis in B.C.
“These are people’s parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters… the stories I hear at all levels of our society, this isn’t just homeless people.”
The cost to the city for hiring six new firefighters is nearly $600,000.
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