6 naloxone doses administered since launch of police program in May
Police receive 75 calls a month just on drug overdoses, said WRPS Chief Bryan Larkin
Since the launch of a naloxone program for front line police officers at Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS) two months ago, officers have had to deliver naloxone doses six times.
WRPS Chief Bryan Larkin told CBC News four of those doses were used on people in overdose crisis and two were used on police officers who came in contact with fentanyl dust.
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Larkin said all six cases were successful. Police were able to bring the four persons in crisis back to a conscious state so paramedics were then able to medically assist.
The two police officers were treated in local hospitals and medically cleared.
Larkin said on average, police receive 75 calls a month about drug overdoses. That's about three calls a day.
A naloxone program was launched last year for police members who handle and process drugs for court exhibits, he said. The program then extended to front line police officers.
"We began to see, particularly last year, the number of demands on policing on overdose calls and the number of deaths contributed to overdoses linked to opioids," said Larkin.
Asking for provincial support
WRPS spent $43,000 from their operating budget to equip front line police officers with Narcan nasal spray, which delivers a dose of nalaxone without an injection.
Larkin said they are advocating for the province to provide some form of compensation or relief of those costs.
"We do believe that this is not only a local issue, it's a provincial issue," he said.
"We do believe there is an opportunity for the government to support municipalities and services through the funding of naloxone kits."
He adds that the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police have met and requested through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services that the province review a form of aid for municipalities.
"We continue to work with them, we are confident that they are taking action and we're confident they are trying to also get a grip on this," he said.