Transit police to carry naloxone kits
'We encounter addicted persons using drugs on a routine basis, but it's definitely worse right now'
Transit police officers will be equipped with naloxone kits by next week in a bid to save drug users' lives.
Just last week, a man overdosed at Waterfront SkyTrain station — one of three overdoses on TransLink property in the past four weeks.
"It's worse then we've ever seen it. Our officer saw this man fall and when he rushed over this officer who was fortunately a paramedic in his former life was able to clear an airway and administer CPR," said Ann Drennan, media spokeswoman for the Metro Vancouver Transit Police.
"It is terrifying."
Transit officers say a naloxone kit would have helped in that situation. Emergency workers gave the man three shots of naloxone after they arrived.
Naloxone is an injectable antidote that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and can save a person's life.
By Wednesday morning there will be 110 officers trained to use the 40 naloxone kits that will be issued.
TransLink has requested an additional 175 naloxone kits from the province.
"We encounter on a regular basis — and I mean everyday and on every shift — any number of persons who are high," said Drennan.
Transit police are being equipped with the kits to save lives, but also to protect themselves.
When aiding a person who has overdosed on toxic substances like fentanyl, carfentanyl or W18 the emergency worker can become contaminated and die.
"We encounter addicted persons using drugs on a routine basis, but it's definitely worse right now," said Drennan.
"We do deal with a lot of addicted people. Drug addicts do tend to use transit as their means of transportation."
"But right now it's more than we've ever seen in the last 4 weeks — we've had 3 situations with overdoses that we have been called to respond to on our properties. The officers have said if they'd had naloxone they would have administered it."
"We are a police department that polices a city — albeit a moving city — of a million people every day," said Drennan.
