KALISPELL – Flathead County deputies were trained Thursday on how to administer Narcan, a life-saving tool that can help prevent death from those experiencing an opioid overdose.
Stet statistics show that drug overdoses account for nearly 250 deaths and 2,500 emergency room visits each year in Montana. Two years ago, the Senate passed a bill allowing Narcan to be carried by officers in the field.
Narcan is spray-administered directly into the nose, or it can be administered into the bloodstream. The injection process is similar to an Epi-Pen. The administrator removes a cap and pushes the needle into the upper outer thigh.
Narcan works by binding and blocking the opioid receptors in the brain, which can reverse overdose symptoms and potentially save a life.
Patrol Commander Nic Salois told MTN News that the results can almost be instant.
“With what’s going on right now in the drug culture in the country and in Montana, it’s going to be another tool for us that can potentially save lives of the public. If needed, our lives as well. We have the potential of exposed to this as much as anyone else now so, it’ll be good. It’s going to save some people,” says Salois.
Deputies will start carrying Narcan in a few weeks once they are all trained on how to administer it.
Law enforcement in Polson, Billings, Butte, Helena, and Ravalli County have also started equipping their staff with Narcan within the last year.
Reporting by Maren Siu for MTN News
