Spice takes toll on Anchorage’s emergency responders

Photo by Robbie Shade (Flickr: 4am fire alarm)
Widespread use of the drug Spice is testing the limits of Anchorage’s emergency response system. With calls for help and emergency transports staying frustratingly high, the drug is exacting a toll not just on users, but paramedics and firefighters, as well.
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Around 10pm on a recent Saturday, Battalion Chief Mark Monfore raced from emergency to emergency across the Municipality as his radio crackled with updates on cardiac arrest