Fire fighters train to save lives in a new way

Taché fire trucks are now equipped with naloxone, a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids. 

Fire chief Allan Rau says their fire fighters wanted to have this added to their services even though opioid overdoses are a bigger problem in Winnipeg than in the Taché municipality. 

“But I did approach our council to see if they would like us to put that as one of our mandates to provide naloxone in the event of an opioid overdose. And we checked with our insurance companies, and everything was good as long as we had the training.” 

After council approved the request, Taché fire fighters completed the necessary training. 

“It was a very a short training period that only lasted about an hour and a half, but it showed us two different methods of administering naloxone, whether it's nasal or injection, precautions to take, reactions that we might see from an individual once they've been given naloxone, and what care we should provide prior to EMS arrival.” 

Rau says Taché fire fighters are always willing to add to their training so they can provide the best service possible. 

“I’m very fortunate with the Taché Fire Department members who are continually looking for educational opportunities, whether it be firefighting, whether it be critical incident, stress management, anything like that. And as well as this naloxone, they're seeking out different training opportunities, they're presenting it to me, and I see if we can get it funded and make it happen.”