A dose of Naloxone, also known as Narcan, sits on the hood of a Riverside Fire Authority ambulance on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Centralia. It is used to reverse overdoses.
All patrol deputies with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office on Monday began carrying Naloxone, a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
“This problem appears to be getting worse and more widespread,” Thurston County Undersheriff Timothy Braniff said in a statement. “We need to be prepared to help anyone who we come in contact with who may have succumbed to this addiction.”
Law enforcement leaders in Lewis County say they’re not yet sure if it makes sense for local patrol officers and deputies to carry the often life-saving drug.
Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza said he plans to talk to his brother, Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza, about how Thurston County implemented the program, and has a staff meeting at the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office this week to explore options.
“There’s costs to it and we have to figure out how we get the funding for that,” he said. “I think it’s an item of discussion, it’s just working some details out.”
Deputies also need training to use the drug, which comes as a nasal spray.
The spray reverses the effects of opioids such as heroin and prescription pain medications on the respiratory system, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office worked with Thurston County Public Health to implement the program to equip deputies with the medication.
The drug is already employed regularly by paramedics in Lewis County, said Riverside Fire Authority Chief Mike Kytta.
“That’s a routine medication for a paramedic service,” he said. “We’ve been doing that for quite a while.”
Both Snaza and Centralia Police Chief Carl Nielsen questioned if Lewis County sees enough heroin or prescription drug overdoses to warrant supplying patrol officers with the medication.
“I’m not getting the reports that we’re getting that many of them,” Nielsen said.
Snaza said that his office needs to consider how often it will use the drugs, considering the cost of the individual Naloxone doses, which expire.
Kytta said overdoses tend to come in cycles, and are sometimes correlated with the arrival of a stronger than usual strain of heroin.
He said his department sees overdoses and uses Naloxone three to five times per month.
“A couple times a year we’ll get like three in a day,” he said. “I’ve been to places where there’s two people in need of treatment in the same location.”
The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office encourages people to call 911 if a friend of loved one is experiencing an overdose. The law provides protection against prosecution for possession of a controlled substance for a person who calls 911 in such an instance and for the person suffering an overdose.
“In the end, it is our hope that by equipping patrol deputies with this potentially life-saving medication we can help people who are experiencing an opioid overdose survive until the medics are able to begin providing advanced life-saving care,” stated a release from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.
