Essex firefighters join other 1st responders in carrying naloxone
26 Windsor-Essex organizations are involved with the program, says the health unit
Firefighters in the Town of Essex will be carrying naloxone on their trucks as part of a strategy to try and save lives amid the opioid crisis.
Essex Fire and Rescue Services will be the sixth first-responder service in the region to carry the drug through a partnership with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) as part of the Ontario Naloxone Program.
Deaths due to opioid overdoses are on the rise in Windsor-Essex, provincial data show. Last year, 112 people died, an increase of 27 deaths compared with the previous year.
Naloxone can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Kits will be on board Essex Fire and Rescue Services vehicles and firefighters will be able to administer naloxone if they're first on the scene of a potential overdose, the health unit said in a Tuesda media release.
"As part of the onboarding process, Essex Fire and Rescue Services will receive training, naloxone kits, and ongoing support to administer naloxone to people who are at risk of an opioid overdose," the WECHU said.
The fire departments in Windsor and Amherstburg, as well as Essex-Windsor EMS and Windsor and LaSalle police are already part of the program.
Overall, there are 26 local organizations involved, the health unit says.