The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) is crediting its officers with saving three lives following separate overdose calls in one night.
The first call came in at about 10:30 p.m. on Monday, police said. An officer arrived in an alley in the 400 block of 3rd Avenue North and found a 43-year-old man not breathing and with no pulse.
Police said the officer was able to administer Narcan and conduct CPR until he could be taken to hospital.
Another call reported a 29-year-old woman had overdosed in the 100 block of Avenue R South at roughly 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Again, the responding officer administered Narcan and conducted CPR on the patient.
The third call around 2 a.m. reported a 50-year-old man on a sidewalk in the 800 block of Idylwyld Drive North. SPS said the patient was revived with naloxone and taken to hospital, according to a press release.
“These three calls highlight the difficult work our members do in a community that is, like many others, dealing with addictions and mental health issues,” SPS Chief Troy Cooper said in a press release.
“Even under the current environment, including navigating the risks associated to COVID-19 and being video recorded by bystanders, our members continue to show professionalism in their well-trained response to emergencies as such was the case last night.”
According to Medavie Health Services West’s latest weekly report, its paramedics responded to 88 overdose calls from June 29 to July 6. There were 80 overdose calls in the previous report.
SPS is reminding people about the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, which provides some legal protection for those who witness an overdose and call emergency services.