The Vancouver Police Department is studying whether to equip its officers with a life-saving drug that could be administered to victims of overdoses from drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.
Police Chief Adam Palmer said the department conducted an internal study about a year ago on the use of naloxone but is waiting until the nasal spray form of the prescription-only medication is available in Canada before making a decision on whether it will be added to an officer’s equipment.
“It is something we’re going to be pushing for because we think it’s a viable option for Canada,” Palmer told reporters after a Vancouver Police Board meeting last week. “The issue we have right now, though, is down in the United States, they have a better system in place where you can use [the nasal spray]. So if somebody has an overdose, you don’t have to actually inject them with a needle.”
The chief commented on the use of naloxone after news surfaced that the Surrey RCMP has proposed a pilot project with Fraser Health and the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, which has operated a program for almost three years, training drug users, their friends, their family and service providers how, when and where to inject naloxone.
The medication, also referred to by its brand name Narcan and used by paramedics, quickly reverses the effects of opiods on the body by restoring breathing within two to three minutes. The effects last for at least 30 minutes, giving time for emergency responders to arrive. The medication is administered with a needle. Health Canada has yet to approve the nasal spray.
Tom Stamatakis, president of the Vancouver Police Union, said he has a number of concerns on any initiative that would have officers administer a drug or substance to another person. Such a move would have training implications and issues with liability, Stamatakis said.
"Not just liability but how often the administering of something like that could lead to complaints or other criticisms of our members, who, frankly in my opinion, are already exposed to enough risk and criticism as they do their jobs," he said.
Cpl. Scotty Schumann, a media relations officer with the Surrey RCMP, said a recent spike in the number of overdoses related to fentanyl prompted police to examine how they could better respond to calls involving overdoses. Last week, CKNW reported that it obtained a leaked memo from the RCMP revealing the Mounties' move to train and outfit 40 officers with naloxone.
“I’m hearing there appears to be support for it,” Schumann said. “Nothing has been approved, so the finer details of how the drug would be administered have not been discussed.”
The Courier requested an interview with Dr. Patricia Daly of Vancouver Coastal Health but she was not immediately available. But a spokesperson for the health authority said in an email that “if the VPD decides to go ahead, Vancouver Coastal Health would support them, including training their officers.”
Hugh Lampkin, president of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, said he would also support VPD officers being equipped with naloxone. Lampkin is a member of the Centre for Disease Control’s “Take home Naloxone” program and said he is certified on how to train people to administer the medication. He estimated more than 100 of VANDU’s members have been trained on how to use naloxone.
“If you’re a police officer, or a firefighter, or an ambulance person and you’re first on the scene, then it’s incumbent on you to do what you can do to save that life,” Lampkin said. “That’s their jobs – saving lives.”
Capt. Jonathan Gormick, a media relations officer with Vancouver Fire-Rescue, said laws governing firefighters don't allow for the administering of naloxone. But Gormick said the department is studying whether firefighters should pursue another level of training that would allow for the use of naloxone and other drugs such as nitroglycerin, entonox and Aspirin on patients suffering extreme pain. Such a move would require approval from the Emergency Health Services Commission.
"Our be-all and end-all is community safety and the well-being of the people we serve," Gormick said. "So anything we can do to enhance that is really what we're here for."
In 2014, about 350 deaths in B.C. were attributed to illicit drug overdoses, the majority from opiods such as heroin, morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl.
Note: This story has been updated since first posted.
mhowell@vancourier.com
@Howellings
