Local officers take part in Narcan training session

Franklin County and regional law enforcement personnel took part in potentially life-saving training last week regarding the drug naloxone — better known as Narcan — to help reverse opioid overdoses.

The session, led by Deputy Sheriff Robert Smith, who also serves as a Franklin County School District Resource Officer, had a two-fold purpose in showing how and when to utilize the medication that can address the effects of heroin, morphine and oxycodone.

“The reality is that we’re seeing a lot more people who are dying from overdoses tied to opioids and law enforcement can also become victims of these drugs if they come in contact with them,” Smith said.

“There are stories we hear about all the time regarding officers around the country going down because by being exposed to things like fentanyl and having Narcan available is another life-saving tool we need to have in our arsenal.”

Smith said there’s no jurisdiction in Mississippi that is not dealing with overdoses, including Franklin County, which has seen no less than three such incidents in the past week.

“For those who think these kinds of drugs are not everywhere, you need to think again because people are dying across the United States on a daily basis because of the non-stop rise in opioid usage,” he continued.

Through the “Stand Up, Mississippi” program, hundreds of law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics and other first responders are being trained in all 82 counties to address this alarming situation while being provided with free containers of naloxone.

The medication commonly blocks the effects of opioids for 30 to 90 minutes through a nasal spray and multiple doses might be required for those suffering from an overdose.

“This half-hour training showed officers how to spot the signs and symptoms of an overdose, information about administering naloxone and how they can potentially save a life,” Smith continued.

“That’s not a whole lot of time when it comes to helping us carry out our mission to protect and serve the public and to make sure officers have the opportunity to go home at the end of their shifts.”

During the session, officers learned to recognize the signs of a potential opioid overdose, including small, constricted “pin-point” pupils; falling asleep or loss of consciousness; slow, shallow breathing; choking or gurgling sounds; a limp body; and cold skin that can be pale, blue, grayish or ashen.

In the event of an overdose, bystanders are urged to call 9-1-1 immediately to get help for the person suffering from the situation.

Smith said those officers completing the training, which was offered in the courtroom at the Franklin County Courthouse on Wednesday, Feb. 1, would soon be issued two containers of the medication.

Agencies represented at the gathering included the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, Meadville Police Department, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Mississippi Department of Corrections and Mississippi Highway Patrol.

Distribution of naloxone to first responders is part of an effort to equip emergency personnel with the resources to combat opioid-induced illness.

Smith noted prescription and synthetic opioids resulted in the deaths of more than 93,000 people in the United States during 2020, and synthetic opioids were responsible for 62 percent of those fatalities.

“During that same time period, there were 443 overdose deaths across Mississippi with 73 percent of those connected with opioids,” he went on to say.

“Conducting this training in Franklin County is vital to make certain we, as officers, can stay on top of what we’re facing on the streets any given day of the week.”

The training program was supported through the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, the state Attorney General’s office, the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration.