Manitoba RCMP save 1st life with naloxone kit

For the first time since receiving naloxone kits in November, Manitoba RCMP used the overdose reversal drug on a patient Friday night.

At about 11 p.m., RCMP responded to a call of a possible fentanyl overdose in southeastern Manitoba, according to a release issuedMonday.

• RCMP officers now carry life-saving fentanyl antidote

Police say they found a 20-year-old male unconscious, not breathing and with a low pulse.Police also seized a substance suspected to befentanyl.

Officers administered a dose of nasal spray naloxone and saw an improvement inthe man's vital signs. The officers had to administer two more doses of naloxone while they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

The man's blood pressure and breathingstabilized and he was brought to hospital. He has since been released.

Police are not revealing more details on where it happened toprotect the man'sidentity.

"I cannot stress enough the value of having these kits with our officers, it saves lives and is critical to the safety of all first responders," said Supt. Joanne Keeping, east district commander of the Manitoba RCMP, in a news release.

"There is no doubt in our minds that those officers saved the life of this young man."

All front-line RCMPofficers in Manitoba now carry naloxone kits.

• More naloxone and better data: Manitoba responds to opioid crisis