Union leaders representing Winnipeg's firefighters and paramedics say police are diverting dangerous 911 calls to them. 

Alex Forrest of United Firefighters of Winnipeg and Ryan Woiden of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union Local 911 claim their members are being sent to calls on a pretext of a medical or fire emergency when it's actually a criminal situation, the Free Press reports.

Winnipeg police spokesperson Stacey Cann says police are not knowingly sending firefighters and paramedics to do their jobs.

Cann says the rising number of incidents of violence is the result of the meth crisis that is affecting all first responders.

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