Saskatoon’s fire department is calling on the Province for some support after a busy April spent responding to overdose calls.  

Jared Benson is the treasurer the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 80. He says the department responded to 680 overdoses in the month of April alone. That is nearly one overdose call every hour for the entire month. Benson says April’s numbers were significantly above March overdose rates, when only 165 reports were called in. It also beats record high rate of 509 overdoses seen in March 2025. 

“We’re not experts in long-term solutions here, we just know it is taxing our resources here in Saskatoon, and I know in other cities in the province, too.”

 He says the extra demand is putting a strain on firefighters and resources, and it would be nice to get some help from the Province—either in the form of additional staff or more long-term mental health and drug-related solutions. 

To share the news, Benson and a colleague joined NDP MLA Matt Love, who says the Province also needs to come through on its promise regarding addictions treatment spaces. He adds that this spike happens to coincide with the start of warm weather and the closure of Prairie Harm Reduction in April.  

 “We need to see a plan. How are we going to replace those services offered by 100 frontline healthcare workers. When the government cut that funding, they had no plan in place, and unfortunately, I think it’s the firefighters that are having to step forward to meet the need that we have.”

He says the average wait time for drug treatment from referral is currently six weeks, which he says is the longest wait time in every province in the country.