A year after the introduction of NARCAN in Canada to help combat the opioid crisis, it is now being provided to other first responders, government agencies and community organizations.
It is an inter-nasal spray that helps to treat fentanyl overdose victims.
Deputy Chief Don McCabe says the Moncton Fire Department began using the inter-nasal spray in January of this year, and they were the first fire department in Atlantic Canada to use it, “We started researching it in June of 2016, but at the time, we found out that you could only get it in needle form. That would mean everyone would have to be certified to give that needle. We found out that you could apply for a license and you could get the inter-nasal spray from the United States. One of our local drug stores, Guardian Drugs filled in the application to bring the nasal spray in, and that is where we purchased it from, so we have been using it since January of 2017.”
As of this month, there are now many first responders, government agencies and community organizations across the country using the inter-nasal spray to save fentanyl overdose victims.
McCabe says, “At the Moncton Fire Department, two doses of NARCAN are carried on each truck, and there is also a dose carried on the engine as well, in the case that one of the firefighters is exposed to fentanyl.”
He says by using the inter-nasal spray, they have managed to bring back three or four people who have overdosed.
McCabe adds, “As emergency responders, Moncton Fire attends medical calls as well. We arrive in under four minutes for most places, and if we get there first, we go through the protocol and if NARCAN is needed, we will use it. All of the firefighters in the City of Moncton are trained to use the inter nasal spray.”
