Emergency crews responding to a drug overdose in Surrey. (Photo: Now-Leader file)New tool helping save lives in Surrey drug overdose crisis
Fire chief Len Garis says program is a first in Canada
Surrey’s fire department is leading Canada’s charge in saving
drug overdose victims with new technology that tracks overdose
“clusters” and warns emergency service when a bad batch of opioids hits
the street.
“The technology is the first I’m aware of in this country,” Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis told the Now-Leader.
The success of this program is drawing the attention of health officials in North America, he added.
The city with help from GINQO, developer of Qlik business intelligence software, is mining real-time data collected through dispatch calls to send resources where they’re needed.
If in any four-hour period three overdoses occur within a square
kilometre, this is flagged, an alert is sent to senior officers in the
fire department, the chief medical health officer of Fraser Health, and
help is on the way. If there’s a “cluster,” Garis said, leaflets warning
about bad drugs will also be distributed in the area.
READ ALSO: Average of 15 die of overdose each month in Surrey
READ ALSO: Fourteen-year-old girl dies after overdose in Surrey
He noted that 17 people overdosed in Surrey during a 72-hour period in December 2016. Firefighters, Fraser Health, police and paramedics were left “scrambling,” he said. “The situation was quite appalling and quite stressful.”
The program was developed in response and launched on June 27, 2017. So far there have been 10 alerts. Garis said this technology is “absolutely” helping to save lives. Despite the common belief most overdoses happen on the streets, he said, “The lion’s share of people are dying in their homes.”
“With the strain the opioid crisis has put on our first responders, this business tool is helping us and our partners to be in the right place at the right time.”
The number of drug overdoses in Surrey is staggering, with emergency crews responded to an average of 7.5 per day. Last years 2,707 overdoses were responded to in Surrey, 2,623 in 2016 and 1,606 in 2015.
Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner noted that it’s often asked how many lives could be saved if emergency responders had real-time information available when clusters of opioid overdoses happen. “By developing and employing this software, the Surrey Fire Service has taken the initiative that will allow first responders to respond more quickly and effectively when clusters of overdoses take place, and by doing so, more lives will ultimately be saved.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
“The technology is the first I’m aware of in this country,” Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis told the Now-Leader.
The success of this program is drawing the attention of health officials in North America, he added.
The city with help from GINQO, developer of Qlik business intelligence software, is mining real-time data collected through dispatch calls to send resources where they’re needed.
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| Surrey Fire Chief Len Garis. (Photo: Tom Zytaruk) |
READ ALSO: Average of 15 die of overdose each month in Surrey
READ ALSO: Fourteen-year-old girl dies after overdose in Surrey
He noted that 17 people overdosed in Surrey during a 72-hour period in December 2016. Firefighters, Fraser Health, police and paramedics were left “scrambling,” he said. “The situation was quite appalling and quite stressful.”
The program was developed in response and launched on June 27, 2017. So far there have been 10 alerts. Garis said this technology is “absolutely” helping to save lives. Despite the common belief most overdoses happen on the streets, he said, “The lion’s share of people are dying in their homes.”
“With the strain the opioid crisis has put on our first responders, this business tool is helping us and our partners to be in the right place at the right time.”
The number of drug overdoses in Surrey is staggering, with emergency crews responded to an average of 7.5 per day. Last years 2,707 overdoses were responded to in Surrey, 2,623 in 2016 and 1,606 in 2015.
Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner noted that it’s often asked how many lives could be saved if emergency responders had real-time information available when clusters of opioid overdoses happen. “By developing and employing this software, the Surrey Fire Service has taken the initiative that will allow first responders to respond more quickly and effectively when clusters of overdoses take place, and by doing so, more lives will ultimately be saved.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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