TFRD hosts “Leave It Behind” Narcan giveaway event
Kits will be handed out again Friday.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Today, the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department gave out Naloxone, also known as Narcan, a lifesaving medication for those addicted to opiates.
During an event at the East Toledo Family Center, the department distributed these Narcan kits and educated residents on how they can be used — and when.
“About 5% of our runs; we’re seeing about two-thousand overdoses, 2,800 overdoses last year, every year. So, we go on an average of, depending right now we’re going on- it’s slowed down a little bit, but we’re going on about five, six overdoses a day,” said Lt. Zakariya Reed of the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department.
Reed doesn’t know how addicts are getting a hold of these street drugs, like fentanyl, but says they know just how much to take.
“We have people that are chronic users of the drug and they’ve always known exactly how much to take, and they weren’t ready to get in recovery,” he said.
The lieutenant adds that some overdoses were the result of drug deals gone wrong.
“I would say a good 20% of our overdoses that we see, the people thought they were taking cocaine — and turns out it was fentanyl,” he added.
To receive one of these narcan kits, you can again stop by the East Toledo Family Center tomorrow, anytime from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
