Fire Chief Trevor Brice, front centre, at North Battleford city council Monday. He is warning people of the hazards of coming in contact with any discarded needles found on the streets, alleys or in the parks. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)  

By Angela Brown

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Spring melt keeps fire department busy with sharp pickups

Mar 26, 2019 | 9:08 AM

Calls for discarded needles or sharp pickups in North Battleford appear to be on the rise, according to numbers from the fire department.

The department received 100 calls in 2018 for pickups, but has already received 32 in March alone.

Fire Chief Trevor Brice discussed the issue at North Battleford City Hall on Monday.

While the report covered numbers from January and February, Brice told council a significant number of needles, about 4,100, have been found in March alone.

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“Largely, the main area is downtown and in the back alleys. As the snow thaws, it uncovers the sharps,” he said.

Brice said two of the big needle finds were made at a rental property at the landlord’s request after the tenants had left. The department found about 2,000 needles at each call.

“People had just moved out. When the landlord had gone in, there are sharps all over the place,” said Brice. “It’s pretty disturbing (to see), but we’re getting used to it now.”

Last year the fire department found around 10,000 needles after being called to one building with sharps in the house and garden.

”Some (needles) were used and some unused but we have to dispose of them all,” Brice said.

The department is going out three to five times a day to calls to pick up needles around the city.

“It’s a problem we clearly have perennially,” Brice said.

Brice questioned why people who use needles are not disposing of them properly. He said there are secure needle disposal boxes throughout the city, but unfortunately, many people don’t seem to use the boxes.

He said the department is working on a public education program with the local school divisions to advise children not to touch any needles they find, but rather to call 911.

The fire department is looking at ways to potentially charge a landlord, similar to how a private company may charge for its services and time, when it is called to pick up needles. This could possibly be done through a bylaw. However, Brice said what’s most important is to have the needles removed.

Mayor Ryan Bater reminded people to be careful not to touch any needles they find.

“Our fire department is equipped to deal with sharps pickups. That is why they respond to those calls,” said Bater following the meeting. “We want to make sure our public is safe, and not having needles around is part of that.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW