Vancouver's firefighters are facing unprecedented strain as the city's toxic drug crisis escalates, forcing the fire department to implement new measures to protect its personnel from burnout.
Record-Breaking Overdose Calls Overwhelm Firehall
Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) has confirmed it is limiting the number of shifts firefighters can work at its critical Downtown Eastside station, Firehall 2. This decision comes in direct response to the overwhelming and traumatic volume of overdose calls the hall is responding to daily. Located at the corner of Main and Powell streets, this station is on the front line of the city's public health emergency.
The scale of the crisis was starkly illustrated on November 21, 2025, when firefighters attended a historic high of 54 overdose calls in a single day. The agency reported this record on social media, noting that most of these emergencies were directed to Firehall 2.
A Sharp and Sustained Surge in Emergencies
The situation has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks. While VFRS averaged about 16 overdose calls per day in May, the numbers surged dramatically in November. During the third week of the month, firefighters were responding to an average of 45 overdose calls daily. The week of November 17-21 saw the highest number of 911 calls for toxic drug poisoning ever recorded in British Columbia.
The comparative data is alarming. Last week, 452 emergency calls flooded into Firehall 2’s district, more than double the 229 calls received during the same period last year. This relentless pace has led to significant "compassion fatigue" among crews, prompting the new policy capping shifts at Firehall 2 to 81 per year per firefighter.
The Deadly Mix Fueling the Crisis
Health authorities point to an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply as the core driver of the surge. The First Nations Health Authority attributes the jump in poisonings to drug dealers mixing medetomidine with fentanyl. Medetomidine is a veterinary drug used to sedate animals; it is not a controlled substance and its presence in the street drug supply adds a dangerous and unpredictable element.
British Columbia has been under a public health emergency since 2016 due to the opioid crisis. The deadliest year so far was 2023, with 2,589 reported deaths. While the widespread availability of the overdose-reversal drug Narcan saves many lives, survivors can be left with permanent brain damage.
The latest data from the B.C. Coroners Service, current to September 30, 2025, shows 1,384 unregulated drug deaths in the province this year. Overdoses remain the leading cause of unnatural death in B.C. by a wide margin. The crisis continues to test the limits of the city's emergency services, with firefighters bearing a heavy physical and emotional burden on the front lines.
