By FireRescue1 Staff
AMHERST, N.Y. — As the opioid epidemic crisis continues, a firefighter-paramedic shared his experience responding to overdose calls.
In a recent interview, Jacob Polen told WGRZ that he’s responded to overdose calls he’ll never forget. In one call, he responded to a vehicle crash where a woman was blue in the face and still had a needle in her arm; a child was also inside the vehicle.
“For a couple minutes there before she was able to come full alert it definitely was very nerve-wracking,” Polen said.
Polen said he’s responded to 12 overdose calls over the last year, three of which were fatal.
“It can be very stressful. You also have to look at the area you’re responding in the type of environment that call is happening in,” Polen said.