Fire Chief Dave Ott contacted me the other day asking if I had additional supplies of Narcan on hand.

It’s the holiday season, of course, and sadly our first responders and emergency service providers have to think about such things as drug overdoses and drunk drivers at this time of the year.

In case you didn’t know, Narcan is a nasal spray containing naloxone that can readily reverse an opioid overdose. Our drug prevention coalition partners with the Town of Fountain Hills, Chamber of Commerce and fire department to distribute Narcan within the community – at no charge – to those who want to keep some on hand.

Any resident of Fountain Hills, Fort McDowell, even the Verdes, can stop at a local fire station and pick up a box of Narcan, each of which has two doses. We recommend keeping a supply of Narcan on hand much like you would a first aid kit at your home, especially if you have contact with a family member or someone else who has a known abuse issue with opioids such as heroin, Oxycontin, etc.

With the pervasive presence of fentanyl in counterfeit prescription pills, drug overdose deaths are on the rise nationally and in Arizona. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Insanely small quantities of fentanyl can kill an unsuspecting person.

Locally, the issue hit home when it was recently announced by the Scottsdale Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration that they had seized a record 1.7 million fentanyl pills with a street value of $9 million.

Besides the approximately 360 pounds of fentanyl pills, the bust also yielded 10 kilos of powdered fentanyl and one pound of methamphetamine. Drug traffickers are using fake pills to exploit the opioid crisis and prescription drug misuse.

Our local schools are now on holiday break. Christmas and surrounding holidays can be a joyous time for our children, families, visits by relatives, etc. But let’s also stay safe out there, and I urge parents to talk to their impressionable children about such things as alcohol, vaping, marijuana and more.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has a substance use prevention campaign that helps parents and caregivers start talking to their children early about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs. “Talk. They Hear You.”

Parents, it might not be readily apparent all the time, but you are the most effective front-line defense in our struggle to prevent substance use among our youths. Our coalition will be disseminating more information and resources about this campaign in 2022.

Meanwhile, have a safe and blessed Christmas season and new year.