Houston County firefighters, officers to be equipped with Narcan to battle overdoses
HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. - Every law enforcement officer and firefighter in Central Georgia's Houston County will soon be equipped with life-saving Narcan, according to the county's district attorney. It's part of a joint initiative to combat overdose deaths from fentanyl. This news comes just one week after the FDA approved the sale of naloxone without a prescription.
Before the first responders will receive the nasal spray, DA Wiliam M. Kendall says each will be taught how to track the number of overdoses they encounter, as well as the locations they happen in. He says this isn't just a one-time thing either. The first responders will continue to receive replacements of the life-saving drug, should they run out.
"I told Chairman Perdue that I would like to see all of our first responders be issued Narcan to combat fentanyl overdoses and inadvertent exposure to our first responders," DA Kendall said. "Within a few hours, Chairman [Dan] Perdue put me in contact with Chief [Christopher] Stoner and the Department of
Public Health and said, ‘Let’s make this happen'."
Kendall said that conversation happened only a few weeks ago. County leaders moved quickly to execute the plan.
Narcan is an FDA approved brand of naloxone. It's a nasal spray that, when used properly, can reverse overdoses of opioids. That includes drugs like heroin, fentanyl and oxycodone.
In 2021, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported 2,390 drug overdose deaths in the state. 71% of them were attributed to opioids, 57% of them were attributed to fentanyl.
"I truly believe that with this large-scale effort, we can save lives. This marks just one of the many efforts I am working on or that is currently underway to combat overdoses," the district attorney said. "I am happy to be a part of protecting the people of Houston County and our First Responders."