Eastside Fire Equips Crews With More Overdose Reversal Kits

ISSAQUAH, WA — Eastside Fire & Rescue has partnered with Public Health - Seattle & King County to equip first responders with overdose reversal kits, meant to be left with patients who have overdosed from opioids and may be at risk of doing so again.

The agency, which serves Issaquah, Sammamish, North Bend, Woodinville, Carnation, Preston, May Valley, Wilderness Rim and Tiger Mountain, said at least 67 people have died from overdoses inside its service area over the last two years, due in large part to the rapid rise in fentanyl.

Officials said the new program will equip each Eastside crew with a two-pack of Narcan nasal sprays, along with instructions and pamphlets about nearby recovery programs, which crews can distribute to overdose patients and their family members, friends, or roommates.

"EF&R's focus is on the overall health and care of the community we serve," said Jeff Clark, the agency's fire chief. "The Naloxone Leave-Behind Program is a pathway toward reducing opioid death in our region and connecting those in need to the services available to them."

Narcan spray is highly effective at reversing potentially-deadly opioid overdoses, including those involving fentanyl, heroin and oxytocin. Officials said ensuring people at-risk of overdosing have access to the tool, along with recovery resources, is essential to reducing deaths in the community.

"Recovery is such a key part of the opioid use disorder," said Jamie Formisano, EF&R's deputy director of community services. "We partnered with King county's Eastgate Public Health and Swedish Issaquah Emergency Room to create a coordinated care pathway for individuals seeking care after receiving the Naloxone Leave-Behind Kits."

Eastside crews will be carrying the new kits starting next week.