Reinforcements are on the way for the Abbotsford Fire Rescue Service, which has been stretched in recent years by increases in the number of medical calls and overdoses.
Council gave Fire Chief Don Beer the go-ahead to hire six new firefighters Monday to deal with a 65 per cent increase in the number of calls since 2013.
While the number of fires has been consistent, averaging a little more than one per day, medical emergencies of one kind or another – including, but not limited to, overdoses – has stretched the department’s resources.
In 2013, the department responded to 2,793 medical calls. That figure rose to 4,287 in 2017.
Firefighters are now dealing with hundreds of overdoses each year. In 2013, the department dealt with five such calls. Last year, that figure was 434. (In 2013, the city had more than five overdoses – Abbotsford recorded 10 illicit drug overdose deaths that year. In 2017, 49 people died in such a way.)
A staff report suggested the city had been hoping the province would come through with financial help to address the demands on first responders.
“The City was extremely hopeful that the Provincial Government would take drastic steps to address the impacts of the Opioid Crisis, which would assist at alleviating a significant number of medical service or overdose calls,” staff wrote. “Based on the complexity of the challenges faced in the social issues surrounding the overdose epidemic, it was probably overly optimistic to hope for a quick solution to such a complex issue.”
Last fall, Fire Chief Don Beer told council the overdose calls extract a psychological toll on firefighters:
“The reality for our firefighters … is they are often not aware of the results and the outcomes of their efforts – whether the individuals survive or not.”
The new positions hadn’t been factored into budget discussions last fall, because staff were waiting to see what actions the province would take to address the opioid overdose epidemic.
The new firefighter positions will cost the city $587,000 each year. But staff say that money won’t require any cuts or property tax increases. Instead, they say increases in revenue from new development will pay for the new positions.
Abbotsford’s per-capita spending will remain the fourth lowest among medium and large B.C. cities, staff say. In 2014, the city spent $114 per person on its fire rescue service.
That was more than Surrey ($107), Mission ($88) and Chilliwack ($75), but less than most other B.C. cities. Langley Township spent $122 per capita, Vancouver – around the B.C. median – spent $177 per person, and Delta spent $254 per person. Whistler and West Vancouver, meanwhile, spent far more than any other like-sized city, with $382 and $395 in per-capita fire/rescue expenditures each.
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