Pubdate: Wed, 08 Feb 2017 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2017 The Edmonton Journal Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Keith Gerein Page: A1 FIREFIGHTERS JOIN THE BATTLE AGAINST FENTANYL OVERDOSES New provincial statistics paint an increasingly grim picture of Alberta's fight against fentanyl, as the NDP government escalated its efforts Tuesday to get more naloxone antidote into the hands of first responders. Alberta Health's latest opioid report from 2016 suggests a deepening crisis is playing out across much of the province, where fentanyl was a factor in 343 overdose deaths last year - up one-third from 2015. The statistics show the final three months of 2016 were particularly harsh. The deaths of 111 people were related to fentanyl in that time frame, more than double the number from the same period in 2015. The Calgary region continued to see the highest numbers with 149 deaths last year, while the Edmonton zone recorded 109 deaths. The accelerating death toll has raised worries that Alberta is losing ground in its battle against illicit opioids and may be heading toward the same catastrophe as in British Columbia. That province recently announced a record high of 914 deaths from illicit drugs in 2016, up nearly 80 per cent from the year before. "I think this is going to be a battle that we are going to be fighting for some time in Alberta," associate health minister Brandy Payne said Tuesday following a news conference at Edmonton's downtown fire station. "I'm hopeful that the steps we're taking will help us from seeing the spike in deaths our partners to the west are seeing. Obviously, it is something that concerns us." All told, Alberta has tallied 717 deaths related to illicit fentanyl in the last three years. The provincial report noted 22 of the cases from last year involved carfentanil, a related narcotic 100 times more toxic than fentanyl. Not included in the total were overdose deaths from prescription opioids such as Oxycodone and morphine. Among the new measures announced Tuesday was a ministerial order that allows firefighters, police and peace officers to administer the injectable form of naloxone to overdosing patients. Most of these first responders were previously limited to using the nasal spray, which is not as widely available. Firefighters, in particular, often arrive at the scene of a medical emergency before paramedics or police. Statistics from Calgary show that fire crews in that city used naloxone 45 times in a little over a month since getting supplied in late December. Edmonton fire Chief Ken Block said his department is rolling out naloxone kits and associated training on a station-by-station basis immediately. "I think we'll start to see these kits on many of our units beginning in the next two weeks," he said. Edmonton police are also contemplating whether to provide more patrol officers with naloxone. Payne said naloxone is being reclassified from a Schedule 2 drug to unscheduled, which means community agencies will no longer need a nurse on-site to administer it. As well, the province announced that an opioid dependency clinic is set to open in Grande Prairie this spring with the capacity to serve 300 people. Alberta Health is also distributing $730,000 in grants to agencies looking to set up safe drug consumption sites in various communities. Payne said she hopes the first of these sites, in Edmonton, will open by the end of the year. "We are continuing to work to get as many tools in the tool box as we can to save lives," she said. "It's hard to say what we're going to see in 2017. I don't think I'm ever going to reach a point where I feel like we have done enough to address this issue." - --- MAP posted-by: Matt