Binghamton Firefighters Save Seventh Life In Two Months With Narcan

Jun 6, 2014 | Uncategorized

The following news release was issued yesterday by Binghamton Mayor Richard C. David

Sample Narcan Kit

Sample Narcan Kit

Mayor Richard C. David today announced the City of Binghamton Fire Department has saved seven lives in the past two months using Narcan, the heroin overdose reversal medication.

This past Saturday, May 31, members of the Binghamton Fire Department saved a male overdose patient in Binghamton’s First Ward found to be unresponsive and not breathing. The patient was administered nasal Narcan and transported to Binghamton General Hospital, where he was expected to fully recover.

“The heroin epidemic is very real and is growing across our region,” said Mayor David. “While our top priority continues to be public safety, an important part of that strategy is saving as many lives as we can.”

Narcan is a nasal spray that helps facilitate normal breathing and reverses symptoms of a heroin overdose. The medication is meant to provide short-term relief while a person is being transported to an emergency room.

This is the Binghamton Fire Department’s seventh life-saving operation involving Narcan in two months. On April 2, Firefighters of Group B Engine One responded to a call on Fayette St. for a middle-aged male found lifeless and not breathing. Within two minutes after the Narcan was administered, the patient’s heart rate and blood pressure returned to normal and he began to breathe on his own.

Since April 1, every City fire truck and first-responder S.U.V. has carried a Narcan kit.

On March 18, Mayor David announced that Binghamton Police officers — who are frequently first on the scene to an overdose call — would also begin carrying the lifesaving Narcan medication. Binghamton Police purchased 25 Narcan kits and have been carrying the devices since early May.

 

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