Spokane Fire reports decrease in Narcan treatment, though numbers may be misleading

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Spokane Fire Department said it's seen a decrease in the amount of people treated with Narcan over the past few months. But those short-term trends can change very quickly when it comes to overdoses.

"Overdose statistics, they're problematic to track from the beginning," said Justin de Ruyter from SFD.

SFD's latest numbers show the department gave Narcan to 84 patients in September and 45 patients were transferred to the hospital for overdose treatment.

From July to September, SFD treated just under 200 people with Narcan, which was down from around 250 the previous quarter.

The department said it's difficult to tell whether those numbers truly reflect the amount of overdoses happening in Spokane.

"Like our fentanyl-related overdoses, they will come in as a cardiac arrest a lot of the time,' de Ruyter said. "It will get dispatched as that but in fact, it's actually a drug - usually fentanyl - overdose."

De Ruyter said fentanyl overdoses are by far the most common type of overdose his department deals with. He said those typically require multiple doses of Narcan and tend to happen more frequently in the downtown area.

"Overall, it doesn't seem to be getting better. It's hard to say if it's getting worse. We seem to be maintaining, maybe getting a little worse but it's difficult to tell," he said.

De Ruyter said SFD is looking to expand its behavioral response unit which has suboxone, a drug used to reduce the symptoms of withdrawals.

He hopes having that team more available will help get more people to treatment.

SFD also works with other fire and law enforcement agencies to get a clearer picture of how overdoses are affecting Spokane.

According to SFD's data, the amount of people being treated with Narcan is still on the rise over the last seven years.

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