By O鈥橠ell Isaac
The Gazette
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. 鈥� The Colorado Springs Fire Department is launching an initiative that officials hope will help keep opioid overdoses from turning fatal.
The goal of the Narcan Leave Behind Project is to provide naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, to individuals who are most likely to witness or experience an overdose, said Stein Bronsky, the Fire Department鈥檚 medical director.
鈥淭his medication literally saves a life,鈥� Bronsky said Monday. 鈥淲e want this in the hands of everybody in the community that could possibly need it or want it.鈥�
The department applied for, and received, more than 1,000 doses of the opiate antagonist through the Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund, initiated by a state Senate bill to provide eligible organizations with large quantities of Narcan at little or no cost.
CSFD used the one-time grant to make more than 500 鈥渓eave behind鈥� kits, each with two doses of Narcan, for department vehicles and public health units. The department will also give some of the kits to American Medical Response, officials said.
According to the El Paso County coroner鈥檚 recently released annual report, 94% of drug-related deaths occurred before responders could get the patient to a hospital. The purpose of the Leave Behind Project is to supply at-risk residents with the means to immediately treat a suspected overdose.
鈥淥pioid addiction is difficult to overcome,鈥� Bronsky said. 鈥淪ome people just need a little help and assistance, and this is one of the tools we can use.鈥�
The growing fentanyl crisis in Colorado and across the U.S. is a multifaceted problem, and officials acknowledge that no single program is going to solve it. But with fentanyl-related deaths continuing to increase in El Paso County, any potential solution is worth a try.
鈥淲ith the amount of fentanyl that we have circulating in our community, very small doses can stop someone from breathing and send them into arrest,鈥� Bronsky said.
When a person stops breathing, the brain is deprived of oxygen and cells can begin to die within minutes, officials said. That鈥檚 why, when someone overdoses, every second counts.
鈥淭ime matters in a situation like this,鈥� Bronsky said. 鈥淚f someone is not breathing, we need to resuscitate them as soon as possible.鈥�
The Narcan doses are simple to use, officials said. Just place the applicator into the nostril of the patient, and press the button to release the dose.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as easy to use as a nasal spray that you buy over the counter,鈥� Bronsky said.
Also, Narcan does not produce harmful side effects. If it鈥檚 administered unnecessarily, it doesn鈥檛 hurt the patient.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 given, and it doesn鈥檛 need to be given, it causes no harm,鈥� Bronsky said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win for everybody.鈥�
That鈥檚 why CSFD advises anyone who suspects an overdose to administer Narcan as soon as possible.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to wait,鈥� Bronsky said. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 any suspicion at all we want people to administer the Narcan.鈥�
Fentanyl and alcohol-related deaths rise in El Paso County, coroner鈥檚 report shows
Although drug overdose deaths involving the potent synthetic opioid pain reliever fentanyl continue to increase in El Paso County, the six-year rate of rise seems to at least be flattening, according to the 2023 coroner鈥檚 report released Tuesday.
Near-fatal fentanyl overdose in El Paso County jail reported, 2 facing charges
Two men have been charged after one of them almost died from a fentanyl overdose that happened in El Paso County Jail last month.
On June 1, Tommy Mills, 45, was found unresponsive in his cell from a small amount of fentanyl, according to a release from the El Paso County Sheriff鈥檚 Office. Mills was resuscitated after he was given multiple doses of Narcan.
Needle-exchange program in Colorado Springs stirs controversy, raises questions among public officials
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