Winston First Responders get Narcan Training

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Narcan is an easy to use drug that blocks the effects of opioids, and can be used to reverse overdoses.

Winston County Law enforcement officers and emergency responders spent Thursday learning how to recognize the signs of an overdose, and how to properly use Narcan.

EMA Director Buddy King, says he believes it is his duty to help spread awareness of this drug.

“As members of public safety, we’re charged to protect the citizens who pay our salaries. We want to have as many tools available as we can in order to protect every aspect of our community.”

And law enforcement says you’re not going to harm someone by administering this medication to them.

“You can only provide the possibility of helping them with this medication,” said King. “It’s a safe medication and now it’s become available to not only first responders, but to the citizens of Mississippi. So if you have a family member that’s struggling with addiction I would encourage you to have some of this medication available as a standby.”

The leader of the training program knows firsthand that Narcan works.

Angela Mallette survived an opioid overdose and lives today to tell her story.

“I’m very happy to be able to share my experiences with others and I’m also just so supportive of communities reaching out and wanting to help people that are out there struggling,” said Mallette. “It’s a great program. There’s no reason that it shouldn’t be used and adopted in every community. It’s safe and most importantly gives a person that second chance that they need to get into recovery.”