It can happen to you.
That is what representatives from Barrhead’s emergency services told a group of Grade 9 students from Barrhead and Neerlandia after staging a mock medical emergency at the splash park on May 9 as part of the Barrhead CARES Coalition’s PARTY Program.
As part of the scenario, three Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) students are spotted skipping class by one of the school’s teachers, Peter Bonnema.
As he starts to tell them that they need to go to class, two of the teens pass out. Bonnema then asks someone from a passing group of pedestrians, a group of PARTY students, to call 911.
The first of the emergency services to arrive is the Barrhead Fire Department, followed shortly after by EMS and the RCMP.
Firefighters and EMS immediately begin to triage the teens.
Whatever happened to the teens, it is serious. Their symptoms indicate a possible drug overdose, but they are not sure.
With the help of the RCMP who interview the pair’s friend, it is determined that the teens have overdosed on an opioid, most likely fentanyl. EMS immediately starts to administer Naloxone, a medication known to temporarily reverse an opioid overdose.
Unfortunately, one of the teens doesn’t respond to the medication and goes into cardiac arrest. EMS and RCMP begin CPR, but to no avail, and she is declared deceased. The other teen seems to respond to treatment and is taken to the hospital in serious condition.
“It is important that you know the dangers that are out there. Fentanyl, carfentanil, other opioids are in our communities. One piece of fentanyl, which is the size of a salt tablet, can kill you,” said Barrhead RCMP Const. Shad Martyn.
Martyn noted that due to how dangerous fentanyl is and how it can be absorbed by simply touching it with exposed flesh, RCMP carry a Naloxone nasal spray to treat themselves in an emergency.
“Here’s a newsflash: I carry it for myself and my partner and not for you, because I don’t know what you guys have on your person,” he said.
Associated Ambulance advanced care paramedic Raquel Rachkewich agreed with Martyn, saying opioids, especially fentanyl and carfentanil, pose a new danger to users and front line workers.
However, Rachkewich said she understands that young people will still experiment with or inadvertently be exposed to drugs such as fentanyl and carfentanil, despite their best efforts.
With that in mind, Rachkewich said that if a young person fears they or one of their friends will be exposed to fentanyl or carfentanil inadvertently, they need to pick up a Naloxone kit.
“They are free and you can get them from pharmacies and the hospital. It’s not magic, and it doesn’t always work but if you are going to party and experiment with drugs you need to have it with you,” she said.
Barrhead Regional Fire Services chief Gary Hove knows the devastating impact these drugs can have first hand, as he lost his niece to a fentanyl overdose.
“(She was a) bright girl who had her whole life ahead of her. She had a good job at a hotel where she was responsible for bringing in the entertainment, but one night she did some cocaine that was laced with fentanyl and she passed away. All it took was one time,” he said.
“Take this to heart. What we are showing you is real.”
