KFR wants fee naloxone, too

While overdose-reversing medication naloxone is available to community members for free, Kamloops Fire Rescue has to pay for its supply — but a city council committee wants to see that change.

The safety and security select committee voted Thursday in favour of recommending that council write to Interior Health, asking the health authority to provide naloxone to firefighters for use when responding to medical calls.

The motion, put forward by Coun. Katie Neustaeter, will go to council for final approval at a future date.

“You can go and get a free naloxone kit to use in any other circumstance. They distribute them freely as they should — they save lives,” Neustaeter said.

“But to my mind, it makes no sense at all that we're having to pay through KFR services to have those on board.”

The motion passed unanimously, with committee members Coun. Bill Sarai and Coun. Dale Bass voting in favour.

KFR Deputy Chief Ryan Cail told the committee Thursday that 66 per cent of all fire department calls in the second quarter of 2024 were for medical incidents, representing a slight decrease from the same period of time in 2023.

There were a total of 1,792 medical calls from April to June of 2024, include responses for unconsciousness, strokes, falls, cardiac arrests, seizures, breathing problems and overdoses.

During the second quarter of 2024, KFR members administered naloxone 33 times — down from 36 in the second quarter of 2023.

According to KFR data provided to Castanet Kamloops, the fire department has spent about $14,800 for medical supplies to date in 2024. KFR spent an estimated $27,300 on medical supplies in 2023.

In 2023, KFR spent $534 to purchase naloxone. So far in 2024, it has spent $458 on the medication.

Cail told council KFR provided a naloxone program a couple of years ago for residents as statistics showed an “incredibly high number” of people overdosing who were first-time or exploratory users. He noted IH provided naloxone kits to KFR specifically for use in this program.

Sarai requested further data from KFR about where medical calls were coming from. The councillor said if overdoses were happening in shelters or BC Housing units, council could press for more nurses and medical staff in these spaces.

"They're doing great work there, but as a city if we can help get more medical assistance in the areas that these are happening, you would save on a fire truck rolling out when there's already trained nurses or practitioners on site,” Sarai said, adding council has advocated for this in the past.

Cail told council KFR also wanted to revive conversations about obtaining a smaller medical response unit that could respond to such calls, reducing wear and tear on large, expensive fire trucks.

A $1-million business case for this unit was raised as part of the city’s supplemental budget process, ultimately turned down by council amid concerns the city was taking on costs related to healthcare — a matter which falls under provincial jurisdiction.

Council decided in May to send the business case to the B.C. government.