Working near a supervised injection facility: A qualitative study of perspectives of firefighter-emergency medical responders

Abstract

Background: While firefighter-emergency medical responders (FF-EMR) are important stakeholders in cities considering the implementation of a supervised injection facility (SIF), there is little information on perspectives of first responders who serve these communities. The aim of the present study was to identify FF-EMR perspectives on working near a SIF.

Methods: FF-EMRs from Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services completed an online survey that queried participant perspectives on working near a SIF.

Results: Four main themes were identified: positive effects, negative effects, duration of assignment, and sense of duty. Similar percentages of first responders reported positive (22.2%) and negative aspects (25.9%) of working near the SIF, while some (18.5%) indicated preference for a short-term assignment to the SIF area. FF-EMRs most commonly described a sense of duty (35.2%).

Conclusions: To our knowledge, our study is the first to identify FF-EMR perspectives related to work near a SIF. Perspectives and concerns of first responders should be considered in policy debates about implementation of new SIFs to guarantee an adequately-prepared first responder workforce.

Keywords: emergency medical responders; firefighter; first responder; injection drug use; opioid crisis; supervised injection facility.