Vancouver police officers and support staff will soon have access to the nasal form of naloxone in case of accidental exposure to toxic opioids such as fentanyl.
Chief Adam Palmer says staff are increasingly coming into contact with such drugs at work.
He says it's essential to provide them with medication that is used to block or reverse the effects of opioids, which can also cause extreme drowsiness, slowed breathing or loss of consciousness.
#VPD front line officers & support staff to carry Naloxone https://t.co/U55vNCaq5c to reduce chances of an accidental opioid overdose.
— Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) September 9, 2016
Palmer says first responders in the United States have been exposed to opioids and officers in B.C. have had the same experience, though there have not been any serious injuries or fatalities as a result.
The BC Coroners Service has said there were 433 opioid-related deaths between Jan. 1 and July 31, a nearly 75-per-cent increase compared with the same period in 2015.
The number of deaths between Jan. 1 and June 30 where fentanyl was detected has leapt to 238, a 250-per-cent increase over the same period last year.
