Montreal mayor promises police, firefighters naloxone kits for 'anticipated' fentanyl crisis

Montreal Mayor DenisCoderreis calling fora pilot project to train more first responders and supplythem with naloxone, sayingthefentanylantidote has allowedUrgences-Santparamedics to save the lives of 24opioidoverdose victimsrecently.

Coderremade the comments after meeting Tuesday with a working group to respond to arecent spate of apparent fentanyl overdosesthat have killeda dozendrug users in Montreal since Aug. 1.

He didn't go so far as to labelthe growing presence of the potentially fatal synthetic opioid in Montreal a public health emergency, but he called the situation"an anticipated crisis."

• Fentanyl a 'public health emergency' in Montreal, doctor warns

"We were expecting that it was coming here," Coderre said.

He saidthe city is ready to amp up its plans to fight the arrival of fentanyl, which one Montreal community worker said has been foundnot just in heroin but in a range of drugs, including MDMA, PCP and cocaine.

Coderresaid the fentanyl situation is both a public safety and a public health concern.

Among those who attended Tuesday's meeting wereMontreal police Chief Philippe Pichet, the head of the fire department, Bruno Lachance, the provincially appointed director of public health, Dr. Richard Mass, the city executive committee member in charge of public safety, Anie Samson, and her counterpart in charge of social diversity and homelessness, Monique Valle.

Coderresaid in addition to Urgences-Santparamedics, community workers at around 20 frontline agencies and workers at safe-injection sites have already received training in the use of naloxone.

Regulatory change needed

Coderre said he supports calls to increase the number of workers trained to administer naloxone including police officers andfirefighters. He said that will require the Quebec Health Ministry to change existing regulations, but that such training could begin quickly with the launch of a pilot project.

Mass said the Health Ministry is already looking at a request to increase the availability of the fentanyl antidote.

"Certainly, we are willing to expand access to naloxonebecause it's one of the tools we have to confront the situation," Mass said.

• Montreal police bust 2 fentanyl trafficking rings, arrest 10 during raids