Overdoses / Opioids

November 1, 2022Read more...

Be Careful with Fentanyl but Don’t Be Afraid to Treat

The Media, and now TV shows & movies, are representing any response from First Responders (EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement) as at risk for their own overdoses, should they even be in proximity to fentanyl.  This is partly due to the fact that there are reports of First Responders becoming symptomatic when on the scene where fentanyl is suspected or found, sometimes delaying critical patient care. This article looks at the current literature and expert guidance to explore the actual continuum of...

November 18, 2018Read more...

PoliceOne article: “How biosurveillance turns opioids-related data into actionable intelligence”

Check out this PoliceOne article "How biosurveillance turns opioids-related data into actionable intelligence" by By Rob Lawrence, P1 Contributor. See how a customer agency, in Richmond, Virginia, is utilizing the FirstWatch system and turning real-time activity data into actionable intelligence. Of note, the Richmond Ambulance Authority was the first commercial user of the FirstWatch system. Read the Full Article Here.

April 9, 2018Read more...
opioids

Synthetic Opioids/Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs

This is a collection of resources, developed by experts and stakeholder groups, to help identify, mitigate, and manage the risk for First Responders. The documents contain tools, recommendations, charts, and other pertinent information for knowledge as well as the development of Best Practice Policies for First Responder agencies in dealing with synthetic opioids.

November 29, 2017Read more...

Pinnacle 2017 Session: How EMS Can Fight the Opioid Overdose Crisis

What a great session at the Pinnacle 2017 conference. For those of you that were unable to attend, you can find the information regarding the conference below, as well as resources shared during the presentation. Presenters: Todd Stout, FirstWatch, Rob Lawrence, Richmond Ambulance Authority, Jon Kelly, Trinity EMS, Jamie Pianka, ProEMS and Dave Lewis, St. Charles County Ambulance District Session Description: Opioid overdoses are now clearly one of the biggest public health threats facing this country, leading to more than 33,000 deaths in 2015...