(file photo/paNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

What to do if you find a needle

Renewed call for needle safety now that parks, playgrounds open

Jun 19, 2020 | 8:00 AM

Parks and playgrounds across Saskatchewan opened up to the public again on Friday, June 12 which opens up the possibility for needles to be found in those areas.

Melfort Fire Chief Shaun Stewart said luckily, they haven’t received any calls for needles in the area yet. He said that city crews scanned the areas before opening them to the public and found nothing, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t or won’t be any there.

If someone does come across a needle, Stewart said if you are comfortable handling it yourself, use gloves and put it into a container like a pop bottle or a bleach container.

“Something along that line where they can put a screw cap on the top, and then they are able to just throw it in the garbage,” Stewart said. “But other than that, if they aren’t comfortable with doing that, they can phone the non-emergency line to the Provincial Emergency Call Centre.”

After the call centre is contacted, they will dispatch the fire department, or EMS to go and dispose of the needle.

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Crews use rubber gloves and can then dispose of the needle into one of the sharps bins on their trucks.

“The biggest thing is, if they’re not comfortable looking after it, don’t be afraid to call,” Stewart said. “Some people think ‘Oh, I’ll just do it and I won’t worry about it, I don’t want to bother the guys from the ambulance service or the fire department.’ We would rather come and get it, than anybody be accidentally poked by it.”

Especially in current times with COVID-19, Stewart said there are many risks when getting poked by a needle. He also gave some tips just in case you are poked with a needle.

“Best thing to do is wash with soap and water right away and let the wound bleed freely for the time being,” he said. “Don’t squeeze around [the wound], because sometimes when you let go, that actually sucks anything back up in there that might have been on the needle.”

Stewart added to then go to the emergency room.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6