A footage from a dashboard camera from an RCMP cruiser recorded the dramatic efforts to save a man overdosing on fentanyl. This incident occurred in Athabasca which is around 145 km north of Edmonton.
The best word to describe the effort – “heroic” claims deputy commissioner Marianne Ryan, commanding officer of the Alberta RCMP. They did what they were trained to without any hesitation at the incident. It was around 9:15 AM on September 28 when an Athabasca RCMP officer was waved down by 2 people in a black pickup on Highway 55 close to 43 Street.
The female driver informed the officer that a 27-year old man in the backseat overdosed on fentanyl which is a potentially deadly synthetic opioid. Ryan said that this event occurred before issuing the use of naloxone. It was just the start of increasing awareness training for the officers.
Fentanyl is highly potent than morphine which works by slowing down the respiratory system of an individual abusing the drug to a point where there is deprivation of oxygen in the brain. Once overdose occurs, time is vital which is why the Mounties have been issued naloxone kits. These work by briefly blocking or reversing the effects of opioid medications.
As the officer starts to attend to the man, a woman in another vehicle pulled over. She reported that she narrowly escaped being struck by the same truck.
Importance of first aid and CPR
Recognizing the seriousness of the scenario and understanding it would take at least 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive, the officer and woman loaded the unresponsive man into the back of the truck. CPR was started while the truck moved down the highway to the nearest healthcare facility.
Ryan reported that the officer promptly made the decision to bring the person to medical care right away. Both the officer and woman acted without any regard to their own safety.
The recorded footage that was captured by another officer’s dashboard-mounted camera as the Mountie followed the truck down the highway shows the officer performing chest compression. The Good Samaritan performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. This simply shows that having the knowledge and skills on first aid and CPR can greatly help during such emergencies.
Upon arrival at the healthcare facility, the overdosing man was already in full cardiac arrest.
According to the medical personnel, the man would have died if the officer and woman did not take any action while on the way to the facility with first aid techniques. Both were responsible for saving his life.
The 27-year old man who was visiting Athabasca had a long journey toward healing. He made a miraculous recovery with the help of the rapid action of the Athabasca RCMP officer and concerned citizen.
For more information about this story, click here to learn.
LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a class on CPR training and for more information, check out these sources:
https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/default.htm
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/abs2222
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cpr/basics/art-20056600