First responders are confronting a growing challenge on two fronts: responding to an increasing number of calls about drug overdoses while dealing with the mental and emotional toll of the work. That was the focus Wednesday at the University of Washington, where hundreds of first responders gathered for a summit focused on well-being amid the ongoing opioid epidemic.

For many emergency workers, responding to overdoses has become a much larger part of the job than it was just a few years ago.

“I think becoming a paramedic, you think of car accidents, chest pains, you know, cardiac arrest, shortness of breath, those kinds of things. Drug overdose was definitely something that they did teach us about, but we have very little training and behavioral health responses,” said Cody Maine of the Walla Walla Fire Department.

In Seattle, fire crews responded to about 5,000 suspected overdoses last year, up from just over 3,500 in 2021 and it comes with other challenges.

KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

The post First responders sound alarm over overdose calls, toll on their mental health appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A deputy’s body cam video shows a dramatic rescue in Kitsap County on Monday after a high-speed chase ended with an SUV in flames and the driver trapped inside.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office said the incident began around 11:30 p.m. when a deputy tried to stop a driver for speeding on State Route 104 in Kingston.

But instead of pulling over, the driver fled, hitting 111mph as he sped through north Kitsap County.

At one point, the deputy lost sight of the fleeing suspect, but a short time later, he found the SUV, which had crashed through a fence, hit a tractor, and caught fire in the 20600 block of Miller Bay Road Northeast.

KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

The post Police make dramatic rescue of fleeing 111 mph driver whose SUV crashed, caught fire appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

Boston Heights voters will decide three tax issues Nov. 3, including an income tax hike to fund police and fire services and a new safety center.

The post New Safety Center Among Issues Facing Boston Heights (OH) Voters appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Baltimore City Fire Department has had several engines and trucks out of service for months, a union says, raising concerns about longer response times and maintenance delays.

The post Baltimore Firefighters’ Union Says Department Needs More Working Apparatus appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative donated a crane truck to Little Fork Volunteer Fire & Rescue’s large animal rescue team in Rixeyville.

The post Utility Donates Crane Truck to VA Large Animal Rescue Team appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.