McMaster Special Constables to start carrying naloxone spray

Starting at the end of April 2018, McMaster Special Constables will be equipped with naloxone nasal spray, a medication that blocks the effects of opioid use and can be used to reverse an overdose.

Currently, McMaster’s student-led Emergency First Response Team (EFRT) carries naloxone kits. However, while EFRT is available 24/7 during the academic year (except holidays), it runs on a reduced schedule during the summer.

“In the summer, we have summer school, we have conferences – the campus is still open and activities are ongoing,” explains Glenn DeCaire, McMaster’s director of Security and Parking. “Our Special Constables are on campus 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Training them to administer naloxone nasal spray will help keep our community safer by filling the gap that’s left when EFRT is not available.”

On April 24 and 25, campus officers will receive in-person instruction from the City of Hamilton on naloxone nasal spray administration, having already completed online training. Naloxone nasal spray is inserted in the nose and administered with the push of a button.

While EFRT has not yet needed to administer naloxone on campus since starting to carry the medication in August 2017, DeCaire says it’s important to be prepared because opioid overdoses continue to rise in Hamilton. From January to October 2017, the city’s death rate from opioid overdoses was 78 per cent higher than the provincial average.

Part of the increase in overdose deaths can be attributed to the increasing presence of illegally produced fentanyl, a powerful opioid that is 100 times more toxic than morphine. Two milligrams of pure fentanyl – the amount of about four grains of salt – is enough to kill an adult. Also worrying is the appearance of carfentanil, an opioid used by veterinarians that is 100 times more toxic than fentanyl.

“We can’t be naïve and think that it’s not going to arrive on campus,” he says. “We’re especially concerned that other drugs, like marijuana, will appear on campus contaminated with something much more toxic. We’re addressing the crisis in a coordinated manner with city officials and first responders.”

DeCaire points out that having naloxone on hand will not only protect those who have taken opioids, but will also provide protection to Special Constables who may have to handle drugs and could be at risk for an accidental absorption through the skin.

“It’s for their own protection as well,” he says. “McMaster is proud to play a role in any lifesaving effort – this is how we take care of each other.”