Prioritizing community safety: Fire Department urges support for encampment reporting
With snow and cold weather setting in, the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) is reminding residents to keep an eye out for people living in encampments so they can be connected to safe supports.
“Encampments exist in every Saskatoon neighbourhood and we don’t always know about every single one,” says Deputy Chief Yvonne Raymer. “Reporting encampments through the City’s 24-hour Customer Care Centre helps us connect individuals living in unsafe conditions with supports. While we may not be able to respond immediately, we are doing everything we can to make sure people have a safe and warm place to stay.”
There are two overnight drop-in facilities where people can have food, warm up and be connected to other supports.
“We don’t want people living in unsafe conditions,” Raymer says. “As the weather gets colder, we see risky heating sources become more common in encampments: that’s why the Fire Department is involved. Just in the past two months, we have seen 90 encampment fires and some came very close to being fatal.”
The SFD continues to hear proposals for a large, centralized encampment as a safe option for people. The SFD consulted with other municipalities that allowed large tent cities. It revealed this approach is unsafe for those residents and surrounding neighbours, especially during winter when more fires are commonly used for warmth.
Municipalities have reported significant risks associated with centralized encampments, including:
- Fires, explosions, and injuries to camp residents and emergency workers
- Disease outbreaks
- Rodent infestations and bites
- Soil contamination from human waste and chemicals
- Gang activity and unsafe drug use
- Human trafficking
- Physical assaults and social disorder
- Theft and vandalism in nearby neighbourhoods
- Feelings of insecurity for camp residents and broader community
- Emergency workers requiring police due to safety threats
Managing sanctioned encampments can cost municipalities millions of dollars. Once a municipality sanctions an encampment area, it becomes responsible for servicing the space and providing resources such as water, toilets, power and clean-up, in addition to emergency services including police and firefighters.1
The SFD’s current encampment response process works with community partners to engage with individuals in encampments and offer connections to health-related supports, transportation, and temporary housing options with the goal of transitioning to stable and longer-term housing.2
“The City will be working to develop an updated Encampment Response Plan to address the growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness,” Raymer says. “It will be coordinated among the many different organizations currently involved in encampment responses, including the Fire Department, other departments in the City, the Saskatoon Police Service, the Province, and community partners.”
If residents see someone in unsafe outdoor living conditions, please do not approach the encampment. Report the information to the City’s 24-hourt Customer Care Centre at 306-975-2476 to have your report added to the queue. Current response times for the encampment team are approximately one week and are prioritized according to levels of risks.
1 The following costs were accrued by municipalities for encampment management, removal and clean-up:
- Halifax (2024):
- $1 million spent on Victoria Park encampment cleanup
- $771,000 on fencing
- $172,680 on site remediation
- $300,000 on garbage cleanup across designated and non-designated areas
- Edmonton (2022):
- Estimated $2.1 million to operate a city-sanctioned encampment for 60 people over three months -- including social supports and 24/7 security
2 Before any removal takes place, the City’s encampment team meets with the individuals in the encampment to problem-solve and identify the supports they need, working to connect them with the appropriate help.
The SFD currently has six inspectors devoted to clearing encampments. Demand for this work has continued to increase over the last four years.