Ski hills ready for ODs

Photo: Getty Images

Mountain fire departments and ski hills are preparing to save lives in a different way this upcoming ski season.

With the province-wide crisis of fentanyl-related overdose deaths a top story right now, the hills are taking proactive measures to ensure their staff and customers have every chance to live if they take the wrong drug.

They are ramping up education campaigns, getting RCMP and medical training and are ensuring naloxone kits are available for winter enthusiasts who may enjoy recreational drugs with unexpected and deadly consequences.

“The most common fatality combination we see is fentanyl and cocaine, often times that is people using cocaine having absolutely no idea it may contain fentanyl,” explained B.C.'s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe last month.

Big White Fire Department Chief Jamie Svendsen said 11 members of his crew will be trained by BC Health Services this Friday on how to use the naloxone kits.

“Once we are trained, the naloxone kits will be distributed,” said Svendsen. “We will have one on each rig.”

Svendsen said the department has dealt with several overdoses in the past and they fear the use of the kits this year may be inevitable. While they have not dealt with a fentanyl-related overdose, it is expected this year.

“Fentanyl is a serious concern to everybody in the province,” said Svendsen.

“We have a lot of guests that come from out of country up here that visit us and participate at the resort. Last year, we had quite a few overdoses, so these kids are getting the stuff. The potential is there now.”

He said hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world come to the resort and many from out of town may not know about the fentanyl crisis in B.C., nor know that it is being found in more common party drugs like cocaine.

“What really concerns me is that we get hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world,” said Svensen.

“If they don't understand what we are going through in this province and they do a recreational drug that is laced with something they are in big trouble.”

He said they will be taking the education component seriously by working with the resort to train and educate all staff, as well as the public.

“Every year we respond to drug-related incidents so this is a big concern for us,” said Svendsen. “It is a resort, people are here to party and have fun. We can't stop the use of recreational drugs, but we hope we can raise the awareness.”

The sentiment is shared by Kamloops' Sun Peaks Fire and Rescue Chief Colin Cannon, who said his team is also getting trained this week on how to use naloxone kits.

“We are not totally immune sitting on top of a hill. This is really doing our due diligence,” Cannon. “It's gone from crazy to just stupid.”

Cannon said they have not dealt with a lot of overdoses up at Sun Peaks, but they are aware the possibility is there.

He added that he is also impressed with the work Sun Peaks resort itself is doing to inform all their staff, including having the RCMP speak with staff.

“It is even marijuana, the damn stuff is being laced with fentanyl too. There is no safe street drugs, period,” said Cannon. “That is the message the RCMP have come with, that is the message the ski company is coming with.”

Silver Star Resort tells Castanet they are also taking a proactive approach. All their ski patrols have the kits on hand, there are kits in the clinic and they are sharing information with staff and visitors, ensuring they have options to keep staff and guests safe.