KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In the span of a week, the Knoxville Fire Department said they responded to 61 overdoses. That's a call about an overdose around every 3 hours. The number includes calls from August 5 through August 12.
They announced that they would start releasing statistics surrounding overdose calls during August because it is International Overdose Awareness Month. Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks previously said they can go out on calls up to 10 times per day.
"It can be just about anywhere. It can be inside of someone's home, it can be outside of someone's home, it can be on the street, on the sidewalk, in a park," he said. "It has really affected all demographics throughout the entire city. It's a very sad situation to watch — these folks in these unfortunate situations."
They said that by releasing statistics about overdoses, they hoped it would reveal more about the issues that the community is facing and how much impact drug overdoses can have.
August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, and on Volunteer Landing, there will be an event with the Metro Drug Coalition to remember the lives lost.
That group said they are still looking for volunteers to help with the event. Anyone who wants to help set up the event should reach out to organizers through email at jstanley@metrodrug.org with their full name and phone number.