While the province continues to see a growing number of opioid overdose deaths, Vancouver’s Skookum Music Festival says it is prepared for the risks that these kind of events have a history of bringing.
Adam Lund with Odyssey Medical says team members recognize that there is an opioid epidemic across the country, and particularly in B.C. where about 875 people have died so far this year from illicit drug overdoses.
But Lund said first responders on site are ready for a range of medical emergencies, from cuts and scrapes to cardiac arrest.
“Many of our team members work with BC Ambulance and also in emergency departments, and so we’re right in the centre of addressing the opioid issues that are going on internationally now, ” he said.
“So we, of course, have all of our team members equipped and prepared to respond to an opioid overdose if that occurs on events, but you know in the last four years of working music festivals and events we’ve only actually had to deliver that medication twice.”
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He said organizers also contracted BC Ambulance for additional paramedics and mobile resources.
“What they’re doing is they’re avoiding drawing resources from the community. If you don’t have an ambulance on standby at a large event, then… if the circumstance happens that you do need to call 911 then you’re pulling an ambulance out of the community to come and respond to the event,” he said.
“So by them having additional ambulances on site, they’re basically trying to mitigate the impact that there could be on the community.”
Lund said those resources are in addition to the 60 health care responders already scheduled to be on site each day.
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