Although the snow kept Thursday’s Public Safety Workgroup’s attendance low, there was still plenty to discuss, most importantly how to administer Naloxone to overdose victims.

The Public Safety Workgroup is one of five subgroups spawned from the Rhode Island Drug Overdose Prevention and Rescue Coalition, which was created by the Department of Health in 2012 to address the growing number of overdose deaths throughout the state.

The Warwick Police Department and the Medical Reserve Corps/Disaster Medical Assistance Team’s (MRC/DMAT), partners in the workgroup, held training three times a day for four days at the beginning of January to train more than 160 Warwick officers.

Officers were trained on how to identify overdose victims as well as how to administer a nasal delivery of Narcan as part of the Naloxone and Overdose Prevention Education of Rhode Island program (NOPE-RI).

Naloxone, better known as Narcan, is an overdose reversal drug. Upon being administered, either with a syringe or by nasal atomizer, the drug blocks the cell receptors in the brain that are affected by opiods and reverses the effects of an overdose.

Warwick has had a serious problem with overdoses the last several years and, according to Colonel Steven McCartney, at one point Warwick was even leading the state in overdose calls. Since the first of the year, Warwick Police has responded to 14 overdose calls.

“Overdoses have been a problem here in Warwick for four or five years,” he said. “The problem really crept up on us and all of a sudden it was a big issue.”

McCartney said that although as officers there is little to be done in terms of prevention, the department can be “proactive” and has tried to be with the Public Safety Workgroup as well as the new training.

Now that the training is finished, officers will soon be carrying Narcan on a regular basis.

McCartney said that, initially, there would be some “trial and error” when it comes to officers having the Narcan.

Typically, medical personnel in the Fire Department administer Narcan, but because more often than not police officers are the first to arrive, it could be crucial that police have this knowledge.

“When saving a life can be a matter of minutes or even seconds,” McCartney said, “it is important that we, as first responders, have all the training and knowledge to be able to do whatever we can for our constituents, especially if that means saving a life.”

Captain Joseph Coffey, the project officer for the Public Safety Workgroup, said, “This is a life-saving device. The preservation of life is paramount, and we have obligations as public servants to do whatever we can to save lives. Narcan is just one more way we can do that. It can be applied anywhere and to anyone without any adverse effects.”

“Anyone” is important because, as Coffey puts it, Warwick see a “wide variety of demographics” during overdose calls. He has seen overdoses in people of varying ages.

“Its not always a druggie with a record, it can be a 17-year-old kid,” Coffey said.

Both McCartney and Coffey attended the Public Safety Workgroup meeting Thursday morning along with Reverend Daniel Crenca, a recovered drug addict from Manchester Ministries, and Erin McDonough, MRC Coordinator for RI DMAT. As the first meeting of the year, they discussed the progress of NOPE-RI and how they could go about educating different police departments across the state.

McDonough said, “It serves as a great example that one of the largest departments of the state went through this training for their whole squad. Narcan is a simple process and a quick way to reverse the symptoms of an overdose. It can save a lot of lives so we can help get these people into recovery.”

More than just the training initiative the workgroup is interested in public education on drug addiction, overdoses and recovery. They have held several forums since its inception two years ago to reach out to the public.

Crenca shares his unique point of view as a recovered drug addict for the meetings. He believes that this program, working so closely with first responders and other institutions that may come in close contact with drug addicts, is helping change the perception of addicts as criminals to seeing them for what they are, people suffering from the disease of addiction.

Crenca said, “Seven years ago they pulled me off the streets. Now I am here, being listened to by not only officers but police captains and chiefs. It shows real dedication to helping people. This has been an opportunity to bring awareness and sensitivity to officers about the disease of addiction.”

McDonough explained that as much as the training has to discuss the physiology of overdose and the way Narcan works, the science behind addiction as a disease is also a large part of the conversation.

Coffey said there was some initial reluctance and concerns about carrying Narcan, but officers have quickly “converted” when they see the effectiveness and speed at which Narcan works.

If you are suffering from addiction, seek help from the 24-hour confidential Drug and Alcohol Helpline at 1-866-ALC-DRUG (252-3784).