Emergency responders in Pine Bluff have a new tool to help drug overdose victims.
Pine Bluff Fire & Emergency Services has received Naloxone Hydrochloride Kits, commonly known as Narcan, a drug used by first responders to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Firefighters have been trained to use the Narcan kits. Fire Chief Shauwn Howell says his department was awarded a grant through the University of Arkansas System’s Criminal Justice Institute via the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas.
Narcan is the first and only Food Drug and Administration-approved nasal spray of Naloxone used for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose, per its website. In order for firefighters to administer the drug, they were required to take a Naloxone administration course. The course trained deputies on the “ability to increase awareness of opioid use and deaths” and the “ability to properly administer pre-hospital intranasal Naloxone.”
Pine Bluff Fire & Emergency Services’ motto is ‘Focusing On The Community,’ therefore when first responders have the tools and equipment they need, they can better serve and focus on our community, said the department in a news release.
