The quick actions of a naloxone-trained West Shore RCMP officer may have saved the life of a man in medical distress on Monday.
Just before 3 a.m., on July 4th, officers responded to an abandoned 911 call near Goldstream Avenue in Langford.
Frontline officers were successful in narrowing down the area the call originated from, locating a man requesting immediate help for his unresponsive partner.
The man in distress, who was laying face down with a weak pulse and minimal breathing, was unresponsive to initial first aid attempts.
Officers quickly recognized the man was suffering an apparent opioid overdose and administered a dose of naloxone.
After minimal improvement, a second dose was administered, which helped the 53-year-old man to breathe again.
He was transported to the hospital by paramedics for further medical treatment.
According to West Shore RCMP, officer training and information on the administration of naloxone has been developed at the National RCMP level so officers know about the risks and symptoms from contact with opioids, how to minimize the likelihood of contact and how to administer the naloxone.
“Our training, the addition of naloxone to frontline officer’s kit and the quick actions of these officers were all contributing factors to saving this man’s life,” said Constable Meghan Groulx, spokesperson for the West Shore RCMP.
