Owensville Fire Department volunteers were scheduled to undergo training Tuesday evening on the administration of NARCAN, a proven and oftentimes life-saving treatment for opioid overdoses. 

The Gasconade County Sheriff’s Office has teamed up with the Owensville Fire Department and the Missouri Department of Health to provide their personnel with NARCAN, according to Sheriff Mark A. Williams.

Williams and Fire Chief Jeff Arnold issued a joint statement Tuesday noting “the opioid epidemic currently sweeping the nation is also hitting home right here in Gasconade County.  It is imperative that First Responders be able to treat each other in the event of accidental exposure to dangerous opioids such as Fentanyl.  It is also important that all First Responders in Gasconade County have the necessary tools to treat the victims of opioid overdoes whenever possible.”

NARCAN, or naloxone HCI is a nasal spray and is the first and only FDA-approved form of naloxone for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose.

“We have an obligation to do everything we can to save a person’s life regardless of the circumstances,” Williams and Arnold said.

Like most law enforcement agencies and fire departments across the country, drug overdoses are not unheard of here in Gasconade County. 

“This drug can literally bring an overdose victim back from the brink of death if it is administered soon enough,” said Arnold. 

“Oftentimes, law enforcement and fire departments arrive on the scene of an overdoes before the ambulance.  Having NARCAN onboard, a life may be saved with quick action,” Williams said.   

Both agencies are in the process of having their personnel trained in the use of NARCAN. This should be completed within the next couple of weeks.