OKC Fire Dept. Launches Community Initiative In Hopes Of Curbing Opioid Crisis

The Oklahoma City Fire Department is launching a community initiative that’s focused on addressing the opioid crisis.

With the help of partnerships, the department’s Mobile Integrated Health Unit is helping to further citizen care.

Last year OKC Fire alone administered Narcan to more than 500 people. By getting to the root of the problem firefighters hope to see that number decline. They're open for business 24 hours a day. For Oklahoma City firefighters there's no shortage of work. “2023 was a record year for us, responding to over 95,000 calls in the year,” said Cpt. Scott Douglas, Oklahoma City Fire Department.            

Their workday extends well beyond fighting fires. “The OKC fire department responds on average about 260 a day, the majority of those are medically driven around 75 to 80 percent of those,” said Douglas,           

Many of those medical calls include a growing number of overdoses. “According to the CDC last year around 150 people a day are dying from overdoses,” said Douglas.

Last year the fire department administered Narcan to 517 Oklahoma City patients. Many of them were familiar faces. “If we recognize the same call, the same person, over and over we realize there's maybe a bigger need in their life,” said Douglas.            

Through their Mobile Integrated Health Unit, the fire department partners with other organizations to address those needs. “It’s just an extended service past the 911 call,” said Douglas.       

Together they're able to collaborate and pool resources that they hope will have a lasting impact. “That they’ll come out, stay in contact, check on them. make sure they're getting the help they need. Try to get them in a direction that will help positively change their life.

The fire department says the program is twofold, helping patients to recover while also relieving the strain on law enforcement, ambulance, and hospital services.