PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Presque Isle Police Department has been carrying the opioid overdose treatment Narcan since early April, and officers had to use it responding to a suspected heroin and fentanyl overdose Tuesday evening.
The police department and the Presque Isle Fire Department’s ambulance were dispatched shortly after 10 p.m , April 25 to respond to an overdose.
Police officers Roy Guidry and Kevin Reed, arriving ahead of the ambulance crew, did not find a response from the individual and started administering Narcan, according to a press release.
The emergency medical technician crew arrived shortly thereafter and took over the Narcan administration, which required several more doses before the individual was revived, according to the press release.
Police Chief Matt Irwin said it is suspected that the overdose was linked to a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, the high-power synthetic opioid that can come mixed with heroin and poses a high risk for overdose.
There were no arrests made in association with the overdose, Irwin said.
The PIPD began carrying Narcan earlier this month thanks to a program managed by the Maine Attorney General’s Office that makes the treatment available to law enforcement agencies. The program is funded by the state’s consumer trust fund, an account controlled by the Attorney General that holds money from court settlements. Individuals who overdose are not billed for the Narcan treatment.
Following the completion of training of the whole department, all officers on the PIPD will carry Narcan, Irwin added.
