More Beaufort County first responders are carrying drug to combat opioid overdoses

More Beaufort County first responders are equipped to administer a drug to counteract opioid overdoses, while other agencies are considering the possibility.

Burton Fire District trained firefighters and emergency medical technicians to begin using Narcan in February. The drug, which has the generic name naxolone, is administered through the nose and can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Opiods include heroin and prescription drugs like oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and fentanyl.

Paramedics, like those with Beaufort County Emergency Services, have had access to naxolone. Burton has always carried Narcan for its Grays Hill station, which staffs a paramedic.

But the state last year approved its use by regular EMTs and began a program to train law enforcement to use the drug.

Now Burton firefighters carry the drug on each of their engines and can all administer the drug during an emergency.

Burton firefighters used Narcan on a call the first weekend after completing training, spokesman Dan Byrne said. The department hasn’t seen a noticeable spike in overdose calls and doesn’t diagnose patients, only treats them at the scene.

“We are not going to wait for people to die before we are prepared,” Byrne said. “We have the training as EMTs and paramedics, and it is our duty and responsibility to prepare for a problem appearing nationally.”

Opioid abuse has become a national epidemic.

Maryland this month declared a state of emergency over widespread opioid addiction, committing $50 million to enforcement and treatment programs, The Washington Post reported. West Virginia has also been hammered by prescription opioid overdoses.

In South Carolina, use of Narcan to counteract overdoses rose 39.7 percent from 2015 to 2016, the Post and Courier reported in January.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has dealt with 30 overdose cases since November, spokesman Capt, Bob Bromage said, the “vast majority” opioids. There have been five cases in March.

He did not have data on overdoses from past years on Friday to compare but said the cases are an ongoing issue.

The agency is researching the possibility of deputies carrying Narcan, Bromage said. In many cases people are taking drugs without knowing their strength, he said.

“It’s been identified as an increase and a problem,” Bromage said.

Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department is also considering the need for Narcan, Chief Reece Bertholf said. He noted the department works with Beaufort County paramedics who have the ability to administer the drug.

Beaufort police are “keeping an eye on future options” but don’t currently have plans for officers to carry Narcan, Sgt. Hope Able said.

“I do not think that Beaufort and Port Royal are immune to the apparent national trend in opioid overdose, and we are cognizant of our role in providing life-saving measures as they become available to us,” Bertholf said.

This story was originally published March 12, 2017 at 3:50 PM with the headline "More Beaufort County first responders are carrying drug to combat opioid overdoses."