The president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B-C says overdose calls are taking a toll on first responders. Troy Clifford says he knew the number of overdose calls had been increasing, but was surprised to learn it rose by 31 per cent in the province last year. B-C Emergency Health Services says paramedics and medical dispatchers responded to a record-setting 35-thousand 525 overdose calls in 2021. This amounts to an average of 97 overdose calls every day. Clifford says the calls have taken a toll on his members and the union wants more mental health and addiction services in communities to relieve some of the pressure put on first responders. The Coroners Service has said illicit drug overdoses are the leading cause of unnatural deaths in B-C, with about six people dying each day.
