Arrow Perspectives: Fentanyl, Narcan, and Public Safety

There’s an unfortunate trend in America: the rise in fentanyl-related overdoses. According to the CDC, nearly 70% of all reported overdose deaths (about 73,000+) were attributed to fentanyl in 2022 alone.
Given the severity of this growing epidemic, especially here in New York, the following Q&A provides insights which we hope may help save lives by making folks more informed of this topic.
What is Fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a synthetic, legal opioid first developed in the late 1950s and was intended for use with chronic/severe pain management programs.
Under proper, licensed medical professionals, fentanyl has a legitimate medical use. However, unless the drug is dispensed by a legitimate pharmacy, you can’t know if it’s fake or legitimate, or how lethal it may be.
Why Are There So Many Fentanyl Overdoses?
Part of the problem is fentanyl has no smell or taste, comes in liquid or powder forms, and is highly potent; It is about 100 times more potent than morphine, another powerful opioid.
Also, a large percentage of fentanyl overdoses involve illegally produced sources of the drug which come from outside of the U.S. and are mixed with other illegal drugs to increase their potency. In many cases, users are unsuspectingly consuming fentanyl.
Fentanyl must be ingested, meaning the risk of overdose simply by coming in physical contact with powder fentanyl is largely overstated. If inhaled in a large enough quantity or potency, however, it is possible to fall ill.
How Can You Treat a Fentanyl Overdose?
The most effective treatment is a new drug called Naloxone (also known as Narcan), which is a safe medication created specifically to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It can be administered as a nasal spray or injection and can quickly restore normal breathing to a person if their breathing has slowed or stopped because of an opioid overdose.
Unfortunately, Narcan does not reverse the effect of other drug overdoses.
Narcan has little to no side effects. If Narcan is administered to a person who has not consumed any opioid, it should have no effects on the person.
Narcan kits are widely available in most states through pharmacies and local health agencies, usually free of charge and without a prescription. You can also request a kit and learn more about how to respond to an overdose emergency by visiting GetNaloxoneNow.org.
What Should I Do if I Suspect a Fentanyl Overdose?
As with all emergency-response situations, assess the situation, call 911, and provide as much factual detail as you can – do not assume an unresponsive person is suffering from an overdose.
Common symptoms of an opioid overdose include loss of consciousness, inability to stand or move, and severely slow or stopped breathing.
Proceed carefully for both your and the victim’s own physical safety and wellbeing. Do not engage unless you are certified and/or accompanied by someone who is trained in such matters (CPR/AED).
If you are trained on life-saving techniques and believe a person has succumbed to an overdose, administer a dose of Narcan, monitor the victim’s state of consciousness and breathing, and if they resume breathing roll them on their side to help prevent risk of choking. Continue to monitor them until EMTs arrive and keep track of the time from when you first administered Narcan, since the counter-effects only last around 30-90 minutes before the drug’s effect may cause a relapse.
Should I Intervene?
Most states allow access to Narcan under non-patient specific prescription (or Standing Order) laws. Currently, it applies in 48 states and the District of Columbia (as of May 2024); Kansas and Wyoming presently do not have such laws.
If you are concerned about intervening for fear of criminal consequences, the Good Samaritan Law grants limited protection from criminal liability to people administering treatment, seeking medical assistance and, in many cases, to the overdose victim.
How Does Arrow Security Train Their Officers on Narcan?
Many states, including New York, require that a certified instructor provide Officer training on the administration of Narcan. At Arrow, we have over a dozen instructors who are certified to train Officers on the proper administering of Narcan in an emergency.
Furthermore, all of our Shelter Security Officers are trained on Narcan use in accordance with local certification requirements.
The significance of this epidemic has also led to industry practitioners within education, retail, and even healthcare facilities to inquire about having Narcan, AED/CRP, and first aid training being part of their standard Security Officer training.
Arrow works closely with each client to meet their safety needs in this regard. And we’re proud of the fact that our Security Officers have saved lives over the past few years because of the training and situational awareness of using Narcan in life-or-death events.
This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute advice of any kind. The information herein was sourced from third parties that Arrow Security believes to be reputable and reliable. Always refer to local jurisdictions for any legal precedents.