Concert in Vail over Presidents Day weekend sees multiple Narcan deployments
Vail Police reports that it was a part of nine deployments of the opioid reversal medication
Matt Rourke/AP
Over Presidents Day weekend, the Vail Police Department was a part of nine deployments of Narcan, a nasal spray version of used to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses.
All nine deployments occurred during the John Summit concert on Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Ford Park Parking Lot.
Vail Police Chief Ryan Kenney said that the commander working the event reported that the department was a part of nine deployments meaning Vail Police was there “when it was deployed, either by us or by a member of the public or by the medical staff.”
The medical staff on site for the event was provided through a private company.
According to Kris Widlak, the town of Vail’s director of communications, “there is no indication that there was a connection between the incidents,” and the incidents will not be investigated.
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The town will not release any further information about the Narcan deployments as they are “considered medical in nature,” Widlak noted.
In a provided statement, Eagle County Paramedic Services said it was not “not aware of any confirmed narcotic overdose patients over the past weekend, but we are aware of one patient that did receive Narcan from a Vail Police Officer on Saturday evening prior to requesting an ambulance. There is one other, second-hand, report of Narcan use from a member of the public. Both of these incidents may have occurred out of an abundance of caution.”
“Reports of Narcan use by police officers or the general public may not always be associated with an actual narcotic overdose as it can be used on patients who are not experiencing a narcotic overdose and have no effect,” the statement added.
Kenney noted that while in most instances of Narcan administration by a police officer, the paramedics are involved, the deployments at Saturday’s event were brought to the medical staff on site.
“There’s always follow-up medical care,” Kenney said.
Naloxone works to reverse opioid overdoses by blocking the effects of the opioids. When administered, it can quickly restore normal breathing to a person if their breathing has slowed or stopped due to an overdose.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, if you think someone might be overdosing, the steps for administration are as follows:
- Call 911 immediately
- Administer naloxone (Narcan) if available
- Try to keep the person awake and breathing
- Lay the person on their side to prevent choking
- Stay with the person until emergency assistance arrives
Colorado has laws in place that protect individuals who are overdosing, as well as protecting those who call for help from legal trouble.
While all law enforcement and paramedics agencies in Eagle County carry Narcan, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an over-the-counter version of the spray in March 2023. The FDA-approved version is sold in a pack that contains two, . Each spray is good for one use.
Over-the-counter Narcan is available at multiple pharmacies in Eagle County including Vail Health’s two pharmacy locations, City Market pharmacy locations in Vail, Avon and Eagle as well as at the Walmart pharmacy and Walgreens pharmacy, both in Avon.
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Additionally, Eagle County Paramedics started a program in 2021 to distribute Narcan to homes via its community paramedics program. High Rockies Harm Reduction, which was started in Carbondale, education, support services and harm reduction tools 鈥� including Narcan and fentanyl test strips 鈥� for free across mountain communities. Starting Hearts and Eagle County Paramedics Services both have Narcan on hand for members of the public.
Harm reduction 鈥� including education and access to Narcan and fentanyl test strips 鈥� has come into the national and statewide conversation as the prevalence of opioids, fentanyl and overdoses continue to rise. Advocates for harm reduction measures see it as a more viable option for reducing overdoses as it embraces education and risk mitigation.
The FDA reported that there were These were primarily driven by synthetic opioids like fentanyl, it added.
In Colorado, there were 1,799 deaths attributed to drug overdoses in 2022, according to from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment, a number that has only risen in recent years. Of these, 1,160 are attributed to an opioid and 920 to synthetic opioids mentioning fentanyl.
