CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The drug epidemic in Charleston and in the Mountain State has become so bad that it’s taxing to both citizens and first responders, says Charleston Fire Dept. Captain Dave Wagner.
Wagner, speaking with Mayor Danny Jones on “580 Live” last week, said it’s tough to balance the amount of overdoses with other emergencies.
“On a day that you have a large amount of overdoses, it’s just a real strain on the members and a real strain on the system. Of course, leaving the other sick and injured people waiting on service.”
There’s more than enough crises that need emergency response without worrying about overdoses, Wagner said.
“Every EMS and fire department faces that every day. We have plenty of sick and injured people to attend to,” he said. “Fires, accidents; and then you throw the drug problem on top of it. It is taxing.”
Wagner said he first began with the fire department 19 years ago, and never would have foreseen the epidemic becoming so dire. He said that administering the opioid antidote Naloxone, also known as Narcan, used to be something rare and even exciting.
“It’s different. It’s so commonplace, it’s not that abnormal. It’s just another thing we do each day, whereas 5-10 years ago that wasn’t the case.”
The city of Huntington was particularly hit hard last week, as a rash of 28 overdoes in a six-hour span in the city and in Cabell County led to two deaths.