WINNIPEG — Winnipeg police officers, along with municipal and First Nations police services are being equipped with naloxone kits.
The fentanyl overdose antidote kits are administered like a nasal spray and are Manitoba-made, as opposed to the Narcan kits RCMP officers are equipped with.
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Manitoba’s government will provide nearly $30,000 to buy 1,500 kits; 1,300 will be provided to the front-line officers with the Winnipeg Police Service. The other 200 kits will be distributed to municipal and First Nations police services including the Brandon Police Service and Dakota Ojibway Police Service.
“As fentanyl becomes more prevalent, we have all learned tragically that seconds matter when it comes to saving a life,” said Manitoba’s Justice Minister Heather Stefanson.
Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth said officers will also have a kit for themselves, considering the high risks they take being exposed to fentanyl and other opioids.
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“It’s really important that we have the proper training and equipment to deal with it,” Smyth said.
Smyth said over the past month or so, at least 700 officers have been trained and the first allotment of kits has gone out already.
Winnipeg police members’ naloxone kits will ensure that there’s an antidote nearby in the event of an accidental exposure to fentanyl or other opioids.