Collapsed man’s life saved outside Wolverhampton fast food restaurant after police officer uses spray
A quick-thinking officer in Wolverhampton is believed to be the first in the city to save a man’s life after using a spray outside a fast food restaurant. PC Kirstie Brooks found an unconscious man near a fast-food outlet in the city centre.
He was believed to have taken a potentially fatal drugs overdose. The man was on his back and unresponsive.
He was put in the recovery position and his lips had gone pale. PC Brooks then sprayed Naloxone, which can reverse the effects of opioids like heroin, methadone, opium, codeine, morphine, and buprenorphine.
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But at first PC Brooks was not sure if it had worked. She said: “The man was on his back, not responding, so I checked his airwaves and placed him in the recovery position, as we'd been shown, but his breathing was very shallow and his lips were pale.
"I then squirted the naloxone up his nose just once. He didn't seem to respond and I was starting to wonder if it would work, when there was suddenly a flicker of his eye and he started to sit up. I had done it correctly and although he was still a bit wobbly it was such a relief."
The West Midlands Police officer was able to leave the man in the care of paramedics who carried out further medical checks and gave the man more treatment. PC Brooks continued: “As I'd recently had the training, I knew what signs to look out for with an overdose of opioids and was confident in administering this spray. I do believe that if I had not used this spray the outcome for this man could have been very different.”
Wolverhampton City Centre Inspector, Sophie Clement, said: "PC Brooks did a fantastic job here, she knew the signs to look out for and administered the spray to great effect. it's a super example of just how well this can work.
"Once trained, officers can carry the spray on their utility belts and use it to potentially save lives. It's so quick and it means officers and then paramedics can deal with overdoses really effectively."
The kit is carried on an officer's utility belt and here is an on-going programme to get officers across the Wolverhampton City Centre teams trained in using naloxone, which is being funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner.
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Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, who has supported the day-to-day carriage of naloxone by officers in the West Midlands, said: “I’d like to commend PC Brooks for her quick-thinking actions as she potentially saved this man’s life in Wolverhampton.
“The circumstances of this case illustrate the importance of naloxone and the positive impact it can have on the streets. It’s why I’ve campaigned for officers to carry and administer this life-saving antidote.
“The latest expansion of naloxone carriage and training to 280 officers in the West Midlands will continue to save lives, and delivers on my pledge to reduce avoidable deaths from drug misuse right across the region.”