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'Fentanyl is a game changer for first responders'

The Yellowknife Fire Division is updating its fentanyl exposure policies and procedures nearly a year after a city RCMP officer was exposed to fentanyl at a crime scene.

In November 2016, Yellowknife saw eight overdoses within a 48-hour period, all caused by a highly potent form of street fentanyl.

Seann May, senior firefighter, is assisted into hazmat gear by Sam Anderson, first class firefighter on Aug. 31. Hazmat gear is used by firefighters when they encounter a fentanyl production operation or when otherwise instructed to do so by the Yellowknife RCMP who take the lead on these types of situations. Hazmat gear is what the firefighters call a two-person operation, as getting into and out of the suit requires assistance by another firefighter.
Emelie Peacock/NNSL photo

During a search of one of the scenes, an RCMP officer was exposed to the opioid. RCMP Sgt. Dean Riou stated the member received immediate medical attention and has since recovered.

At the city's fire department, Fredericks said this incident has been a game changer for first responders.

“You kind of go into the panic mode,” he said of the November overdoses. “So the discussion took right off.”

The department is currently working on an updated a fentanyl-specific overdose policy it plans to implement after a Sept. 12 meeting with Alberta's medical director. This policy would involve donning protective equipment any time fentanyl is suspected - a Tyveck gown or coveralls, nitrile gloves, respirator mask and safety glasses on top of the firefighters standard uniform.

Fredericks said the fire department often gets called to overdose calls and the current policies are set by Alberta's medical director. The duty officer of the day makes a decision about what equipment to don.

The fire department also carries hazmat suits to calls and takes direction from the RCMP on when to use the suits.

The firefighters Yellowknifer spoke to agreed that it is another risk in the work that they do, yet few said they feared for their safety.

“It's just part of the job actually,” said senior firefighter Seann May. “It's out there, we need to recognize if we're dealing with a patient who has a fentanyl overdose and how to treat it.”

This proactive attitude is also in response to a continuing rise of fentanyl in Alberta, with an increase in overdose deaths from 241 from January to June this year compared to 368 deaths for all of 2016. “It's in Alberta so whatever is in Alberta usually makes its way to the NWT,” said Fredericks.

According to Annie Delisle with the national RCMP, there have been four cases where members' reported symptoms related to exposure to fentanyl nationally.

The RCMP's operations manual contains a section on fentanyl and other opioid overdoses advises members to use 'extreme caution' as fentanyl can be absorbed through the skin.

What type of protective equipment Yellowknife RCMP use depends on the situation. If the RCMP is going into a lab, hazmat suits will be used. In other cases it may be just nitril gloves.

Riou told Yellowknifer officers assess each situation they encounter individually, but RCMP must use nitril gloves at all times when fentanyl or other toxic substances, long-sleeve shirts and, depending on the level of risk, respirator and goggles.

When the risk is really high, a Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement and Response (CLEAR) team is called in. The NWT is served by a CLEAR team operating out of Alberta.

The way fentanyl is being produced and sold in Alberta is also changing. In June Sgt. Pierre Blais with Edmonton ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team) told Yellowknifer the substance, historically imported from China in powder form, can now be made domestically. Blais said ALERT has investigated and disrupted some labs producing fentanyl in pill form.

In June, chief coroner Cathy Menard told Yellowknifer opioid-related overdose deaths were on the rise in the territory. Menard said there were four deaths in 2012, one in 2013, three in 2014 and the same number in 2015 and five in 2016.