LOUDONVILLE — A Loudonville police officer experienced an accidental fentanyl exposure and self-administered Narcan on Sunday, according to a press release Monday from the Loudonville Police Department.
The officer was assisting on a call with the Loudonville Fire Department involving an unresponsive person.
“Immediately after the officer cleared the scene, he began showing signs of fentanyl exposure,” the release stated.
Loudonville police Chief Brian McCauley said the officer quickly recognized the signs and administered Narcan to himself.
Fentanyl is a type of opioid. The drug is approved for use for pain relief, but is very potent, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration of the Department of Justice.
Fatal overdoses from the drug, along with law enforcement encounters with it, rose between 2011-2021.
Signs of a fentanyl overdose include cold and clammy skin, changes in pupil size, cyanosis (a bluish color in the skin, lips, and nail beds caused by a shortage of oxygen in the blood), coma and respiratory failure.
(Below is a PDF fact sheet about fentanyl from the Drug Enforcement Administration.)
An Ashland County deputy sheriff and Loudonville Fire Department both responded to the officer’s exposure, with the fire department transporting the officer to an Ashland hospital.
The officer has since been discharged from the hospital. McCauley said the officer would return to work for the next scheduled shift.
An investigation into why there was fentanyl on the scene and where it came from is ongoing, according to McCauley.
All Loudonville police officers carry Narcan, McCauley said. It’s a necessary precaution, even though fentanyl exposure is rare in the area. It takes only a small amount of fentanyl to have an effect.
In the know
The officer in Loudonville isn’t the first in north central Ohio to be exposed to fentanyl while in the line of duty.
Two Ashland County sheriff deputies were hospitalized in 2022 after they had reactions to suspected fentanyl during transport of a woman to the Ashland County Jail.
Ashland County EMA also approved a new emergency alert system in March. The system is meant to notify the public about emergencies and potential fentanyl exposure.
It is called CodeRED and cost $20,241. It will be operational in May, according to previous Ashland Source reporting.
