Firefighters in the largest city in western Massachusetts are now equipped with an opioid overdose reversal drug.
Springfield Fire Commissioner Bernard Calvi said all front line apparatus in each of the city’s eight firehouses now carries a supply of the drug naloxone, commonly known as Narcan.
The city’s firefighters have all be trained to administer it.
Calvi estimated Springfield firefighters encounter 5-6 drug overdoses a week, on average, as they respond to medical emergencies.
"Without Narcan being administered rapidly, it could lead to the death of people who have overdosed on heroin and other opioids," said Calvi.
The use of naloxone is credited with decreasing overdose deaths in Massachusetts last year after a steady five-year climb.