WINNIPEG – Firefighters have administered overdose drug Narcan for the first time after it recently placed in fire trucks around the city.
Narcan counteracts the effects of an overdose caused by opioid drugs like morphine, oxycodone and heroin.
On Friday night, Narcan was administered to a Winnipeg man, “That individual was in severe respiratory distress and by giving him that drug we probably saved that person’s life,” said Alex Forrest, president of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg.
Narcan, also known as Naloxone, has been in paramedics’ tool kits for years.
“Whether it’s an intentional overdose or accidental overdose there’s certainly a number of people that will benefit from all of us here at the WFPS being able to administer Narcan,” said Meagan Minaker, an advanced care paramedic.
Narcan acts quickly, sometimes in seconds, said Minaker.
It also counteracts the effects of fentanyl, an opioid that has gained in popularity recently.
“I’ve been doing this for about 8 years now and I feel like we’ve certainly heard a lot more about fentanyl now,” said Minaker.
“Last year we went to approximately 100 calls alone on fentanyl, in those calls upwards of 45 per cent were cardiac respiratory arrest,” said Forrest.
Narcan is now on 40 fire trucks around the city and can be administered by nearly 400 firefighter-paramedics.
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