RCMP officers to be equipped with naloxone kits to deal with fentanyl exposure

RCMP officers will soon be carrying naloxone nasalspray to protect themselves against accidental contact with opioidssuch as the potentially deadly fentanyl.

Commissioner Bob Paulson said he cannot overstate the danger ofthe powerful synthetic drug that has already killed thousands.

"It's spreading across the country, leaving a trail of miseryand death," he said in a news release Tuesday. "First respondersand the public need to know that even being near it can make yousick, or worse."

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The RCMP said it will begin distributing naloxone kits toofficers to use on themselves or others to reduce or reverse theeffects of opioids. New procedures are also being developed forMounties to safely handle unknown substances.

The force released a video Tuesday featuring two British Columbiaofficers who became sick immediately after inhaling or touchingfentanyl that belonged to people they came across while on the job.

Const. Rob Dupuis of Kamloops said in the video that he respondedto a call about a young man who was slumped over in the driver'sseat of a vehicle that had numerous narcotics in plain view.

Dupuis said he noticed a chemical smell and became nauseous anddizzy from what he later learned was fentanyl, and that tests at ahospital later showed his heart rate and blood pressure wereelevated.

Traces of opiates were also found in his urine, he said.

"That was just after a 15-minute exposure in a vehicle," Dupuissaid, adding that officers at traffic stops may believe they aredealing with cocaine or heroin, unaware that a substance is lacedwith fentanyl.

Const. Dawn Adams of Kelowna said she went to check on a manslumped over a table and noticed he had dropped a folded piece ofpaper.

"When I picked it up it unfolded and basically exploded whitepowder in my face," she said in the video.

"I felt dizzy, I felt nauseous, I couldn't stand up very well. Ihad to lean over. It was a feeling of helplessness too.Veryunnerving for a police officer."

Adams said she felt better immediately after receiving a dose ofnaloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan.

"It takes a second for you to be exposed and another second foryou to die. And we all want to go home at the end of the night."

Fentanyl-related deaths on the rise

Last week, the Vancouver Police Department announced itsfront-line officers would be carrying naloxone spray in case ofexposure to opioids, and the Abbotsford Police Department said itwill be ordering naloxone kits.

In British Columbia alone, the coroners' service has said therewere 433 opioid-related deaths between Jan. 1 and July 31 of thisyear, a nearly 75 per cent increase compared with the same period in2015.

The number of deaths between Jan. 1 and June 30 where fentanylwas detected has leapt to 238, a 250 per cent increase over the sameperiod last year.

In July, the province created a joint task force involving theprovincial health officer and the director of police services toidentify ways to prevent and respond to overdoses.

The task force released a statement Tuesday saying the RCMP'sdecision to equip officers with naloxone is a "positive step."

"Adding naloxone to the list of tools at their disposal meansthey are able to keep themselves and those they serve and protectsafe. At the end of the day that is what it is all about -- keepingBritish Columbians safe," the statement said.