Scranton firetrucks outfitted with overdose antidote

Times-Tribune (Scranton, PA)

Jan. 25--As opioid overdose deaths reached new heights in 2016, firefighters in Scranton will now join the ranks of area first responders outfitted with an antidote.

The Scranton Fire Department will stock nine trucks with a bag of naloxone nasal spray, better known by its brand name Narcan, Lackawanna County District Attorney Shane Scanlon said Tuesday.

"It's important because often, especially in the city of Scranton, our firefighters are first on scene," Mr. Scanlon said. "In those critical moments of them arriving, having the life-saving medication on hand could really make the difference."

More than a dozen city firefighters on Tuesday received additional training on naloxone's use by Pennsylvania Ambulance operations manager Bruce Beauvais, who has administered naloxone on numerous occasions, he said.

"What I've seen with the nasal Narcan is they'll get up, be a little out of it," Mr. Beauvis told the class.

Firefighters have encountered overdose victims on calls before, Fire Chief Pat DeSarno said. Last week, fire crews on two calls came across people who were overdosing, the chief said. EMS had arrived and the chief did not know how those situations played out, but the extra few seconds of help could have done the victims "a lot of good." Fire Capt. John Judge said that a person passed away from an overdose more than a year ago while firefighters responded to a call.

"This stuff can save lives," Chief DeSarno said.

Not all can be saved, however. The death toll continues to grow.

Pennsylvania Ambulance provided naloxone to the city fire department, which is one of the first local departments to receive the antidote.

They join the majority of local police departments and EMS agencies that use naloxone. Police departments began using it in March 2015 and have reversed more than 40 overdoses throughout the county, Mr. Scanlon said.

The antidote works by blocking opioid receptors in the brain, effectively halting an opioid overdose. It only works for opioid overdoses, however, and not other commonly abused drugs, like alcohol or benzodiazepines.

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