Garrett Cerda

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Florida Atlantic University *

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1101

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Accounting

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Jan 9, 2024

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1 Garrett Cerda ENC1101 Dr. Jones 16 November 2023 AHCD Proposal Argument with Research One of the greatest practical problems faced by the Public Safety community is the fentanyl crisis. Drug incidences and overdoses related to fentanyl are occurring at an alarming rate throughout the United States and represent a significant threat to public health and public safety (DEA 1). Fentanyl is extremely dangerous to anyone who may come into contact with it such as law enforcement, paramedics, or firefighters attending to an individual who may be experiencing an overdose. There have been reports where a public safety officer has been tending to a person and the person’s clothes or hands have fentanyl on them and the public safety officer starts going into an overdose because of fentanyl exposure. There is a bodycam video of a San Diego deputy that has near-fetal fentanyl exposure. He was only saved because of another officer that noticed and administered NARCAN nasal spray to save the officer’s life (ABC News). There is no short term answer to fixing the opioid and fentanyl crisis. However, to ensure the safety of our public safety community, it should be mandatory for first responders to carry NARCAN, work in pairs, and have medical attention on site in case of an accidental fentanyl exposure. Identify the Problem Even though the opioid crisis has been a huge problem to combat for the public safety community, a bigger problem under the opioid crisis has emerged. Fentanyl is not only taking the lives of its users, but also innocent people as well. There have been multiple reports of police
2 officers having fentanyl exposure on the job and being saved due to their partner’s quick actions. Another incident occurred in Tavares, Florida, when Officer Courtney Bannick came into contact with a powder she believed was street fentanyl. She remembers being light headed, choking and couldn’t breathe, and then she passed out. Her partner administered Narcan to reverse the opioid poisoning. Officer Bannick stresses that “If I didn’t have backup there, I wouldn’t be here today (NPR 2).” The issue is that when first responders react to a call, they immediately take the action needed without thinking too much about their own safety. Most officers wear bulletproof vests, but do not think of wearing masks. There have been US government training videos from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention to show police how to help prevent fentanyl exposure. Also, first responders such as paramedics and firefighters also do not always wear masks when attending to the people they are rescuing. They are once again thinking of saving the person’s life without thinking about saving their own life. Possible Solutions The first solution would be to ensure that all first responders are required to carry NARCAN nasal spray with them at all times. For instance, when Officer Bannick was starting to experience her fentanyl exposure overdose, she could have possibly administered it to herself during the beginning stages prior to her passing out. It needs to be a requirement because it will save first responders lives. The National Drug Control Strategy has called for equipping first responders to recognize and manage overdoses since 2010, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy has stated that naloxone (NARCAN) should be in the patrol cars of every law enforcement professional across the nation (Davis 2) . Yet, even with the numerous incidents
3 reported and the Officer of National Drug Control Policy stating it, it is still not a requirement for all first responders to be equipped with NARCAN. The second solution would be to ensure that all first responders work minimally in pairs. Officers who have been saved by their partner during a fentanyl exposure overdose states that they would have died if it was not for their partner's quick reaction to administering them NARCAN. Essentially, any first responder needs to work with at least one additional person with them because they can essentially save each other’s lives. It is no longer safe to work alone. In the past, officers were in fear of getting shot and killed, but fentanyl is a silent killer. The third solution would be for officers and paramedics to both respond to a call. In the case that there is an accidental fentanyl exposure, the affected officer can be administered NARCAN, but then rushed to the emergency room. This is not only for the affected officer, but even the person the officer is responding to. There are many times when officers must call in for medical backup due to a gunshot wound as well. If the medical professionals are already on site, there is a better chance of the individual surviving since they will be getting immediate treatment and rushed to the emergency room. Conclusion Ultimately, the opioid crisis does not seem to be dwindling down, in fact it seems to be getting worse. According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Broward County leads the state in fentanyl related deaths. From 2020 to 2021, there was a staggering 72% increase in overdose deaths involving fentanyl from the previous year (Tony 1). While there are no definitive numbers as to how many police officers and first responders have had fentanyl exposure events, there is definitely evidence that this has occurred through multiple bodycam videos and officers telling their stories. Unfortunately, based on research, it seems that police departments are not
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4 disclosing information to the public with regards to these events and downplaying the severity of them. Even in Officer Bannick’s case, her police department refused to release her toxicology report to the public. This shows that the police departments do not want to be accountable for these such incidents. If the police departments do not believe these cases are important, they will not require their officers to work with partners. Therefore, there needs to be more people advocating about this and more officers coming forward with their stories, so it shows that this is indeed an issue and not one to be taken lately. Even just saving one life should be enough to make the necessary changes of requiring NARCAN, working in pairs, and having medical attention on site.
5 Works Cited Bodycam Video: San Diego Training Officer Saves Deputy’s Life after near-Fatal Fentanyl Exposure , ABC7 News, 6 Aug. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPZ6fDZUtGE. Davis, Corey S et al. “Expanded access to naloxone among firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical technicians in Massachusetts.” American journal of public health vol. 104,8 (2014): e7-9. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302062 DEA Issues Nationwide Alert on Fentanyl as Threat to Health and Public Safety , United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 18 Mar. 2015, www.dea.gov/press-releases/2015/03/18/dea-issues-nationwide-alert-fentanyl-threat- health-and-public-safety. Mann, Brian. “Cops Say They’re Being Poisoned by Fentanyl. Experts Say the Risk Is ‘Extremely Low.’” NPR , NPR, 16 May 2023, www.npr.org/2023/05/16/1175726650/fentanyl-police-overdose-misinformation. Tony, Gregory. A United Front in Our Fight against Fentanyl , Broward Sheriff Office2022, 2022, www.sheriff.org/Lists/SheriffsMessage/ViewMsg.aspx? ID=85&ContentTypeId=0x010400592A97CC25D3574596BC5EF8D31D69DE#:~:text= In%20Florida%2C%20Broward%20County%20leads,fentanyl%20from%20the%20year %20prior.