This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department is one of the first in the nation to distribute live-saving Naloxone kits to the friends and families of potential opioid or heroine overdose victims, officials say.
In recent years, the Utah Legislature has approved over-the-counter purchase of Naloxone, which many police officers now carry, but fire department emergency medical personnel are most often the first responders to overdose calls, and they sometimes visit the same people multiple times, said fire department spokeswoman Audra Sorensen,
Beginning on Feb. 6, fire department personnel have been prepared to leave Naloxone kits with family members or friends of those at risk of a future overdose, she said.
"The opioid epidemic is everywhere, and Salt Lake City is not immune," said Michael Fox, division chief over medical services for the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
Utah ranks seventh in the country for the highest number of drug overdose-related deaths, according to the Utah Department of Health, and that statistic has pushed the fire department to be "proactive" and "forward-thinking" in taking measures to save lives, Sorensen said.
Fox said the fire department responds to overdose calls "daily," and fire personnel are able "to get these [kits] into the hands of people that need them."
While police officers have Naloxone on hand to administer while waiting for medical personnel, they don't have kits to leave with people at the scene of an overdose, said Fox, who has been with the fire department for 18 years.
In addition to the antidote, Naloxone kits include information on disease processes associated with intravenous drug use, how to recognize signs of overdose, how to administer Naloxone, and cessation programs to get people "in touch with somebody who can help them beat their addiction," Fox said.
"We all know someone who has struggled" with addiction, Sorensen said, and increasing the availability of the kits "empowers families" and hopefully gives people a chance at recovery.
Though family members or friends with Naloxone kits can begin life-saving measures, it is still important to call 911, Fox said, so medics can offer additional necessary medical care.
Anyone interested in learning more about Naloxone is asked to visit utahnaloxone.org, she said.
Twitter: @mnoblenews