(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
POST FALLS, Idaho -A man gets a second chance to live after what appeared to be a drug overdose, all thanks to a new tool that's paying off for Post Falls Police officers.
The department just implemented using Narcan, which can treat a narcotic overdose in an emergency situation.
This weekend, Post Falls Police used it and had their very first save. The brand new tool has been in effect for about two to three weeks for the department. 45 officers carry it on them.
The nasal spray is used to temporarily reverse the effects of opioid medicines. For example, if they believe someone has overdosed on heroine or some type of opioid, all they have to do is insert it into the nose and press the life-saving dose.
Captain Pat Knight says on Saturday afternoon, they got a call after a wife found her husband unresponsive and not breathing. An officer used Narcan and nearly immediately, "he came back to life." Knight says within a second, his eyes had opened up and within about a minute, he was wanting to sit up and talk about what happened.
According to police, these tools can help in a lot of other ways too.
"Our officers carry it not just for the community themselves, but they carry it for the officers. You are seeing officers around the country who get exposed to fentanyl and having some kind of reaction to that and they have had successful recoveries with that as well. It also works on our canines. So if the canines get into some kind of drug, they might end up having a medical concern or a medical issue with, the officers are able to administer Narcan to the dogs themselves," said Knight.
We asked, would this encourage reckless overdosing? Knight says they don't know yet since they just started carrying the tools.
We also checked in with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office to see if they are using Narcan. They say they have considered Narcan but they want to look more into it. As for the Spokane Police Department, a spokesperson tells us that they are training up to use Narcan in the future.
According to Narcan's website, the nasal spray is the first and only FDA-approved nasal form of naloxone for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose.