Overdose calls putting a strain on firefighters, says union rep

With the Saskatoon Fire Department responding to a growing number of emergencies, the provincial government is being called upon to help.

Jay Protz is the president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 80, the union representing hundreds of the city’s firefighters.

He said the overdose crisis is primarily driving the “dramatic increase in emergency calls” that firefighters are seeing.

Read more:

• Federal officials cite decline in opioid-related deaths but warn progress is fragile
• Past the numbers: Overdose deaths down, overdoses up in parts of Sask.
• Overdose calls to Saskatoon Fire Department nearly doubled in 2025

The “unprecedented wave of overdose calls” require, “more time, more specialized equipment, and more emotional toll than ever before,” according to Protz.

As a result, firefighters who signed up to extinguish blazes, respond to car crashes, and treat heart attacks are now being tied up with overdoses, Protz said.

“We’re struggling to meet the demands of the community,” he added.

In April of this year, Saskatoon firefighters responded to 680 overdose calls. That same month Prairie Harm Reduction, Saskatoon’s only supervised consumption site, was shut down.

By the end of May, there were 400 more calls in 2026 compared to the same time period in 2025. Though the number of overdose calls was fewer than in April, the department was still fielding an average of 16 overdose-related calls a day.

Having hundreds more calls is especially significant when you consider that 2025 was already considered a bad year in the city for overdoses, with 2,512 overdose calls recorded – more than double the amount in 2024.

While Protz said, “there will always be a truck to answer that emergency, no questions asked,” he added that it’s also about ensuring help arrives on time – something that’s become more difficult as the number of emergencies only continues to grow.

“We are the safety net for our community, but that net is fraying,” he said.

Even though demand for firefighters has grown, Protz said staffing levels, resources and funding haven’t kept pace.

It’s led to him asking the provincial government for funding.

“In 20-plus years, I can’t recall a time where we actually have done this. So clearly, in our viewpoint, this is very, very serious,” Protz said.

While the Saskatoon Fire Department’s budget is allocated by the city, Protz said it’s not unprecedented for the province to pitch in. According to the union president, the provincial government has financially contributed towards staffing and engines in the past, and now he wants to see it happen again.

“There comes a point where dedication alone cannot compensate for lack of investment from our province,” Protz said.

While Protz and the NDP’s Leroy Laliberte stood alongside each other calling on the province for help, neither the union nor the opposition party representatives would share a specific monetary amount that would account for the added pressures facing Saskatoon’s fire department.

Protz said he would leave that figure up to city administration to determine.