Two Firefighters Use Narcan to Save Man's Life

COMMACK, NY - Two local firefighters saved the life a 25-year-old man using Narcan in Commack last Friday night, according to the Commack Fire Department.

Members of the department responded to Crooked Hill Road and the North Service Road of the Long Island Expressway at about 10 p.m.

Lt. Chris Ciaccio, who was the first member on scene, noticed that the man was showing signs and symptoms of a heroin overdose.

Ciaccio assisted by firefighter Jerome Quigley, gave the man a dose of Narcan. The man immediately responded and began to breath on his own and regain consciousness.

He was then transported to an area hospital by the Commack Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

The call was received less than 24 hours before the Suffolk County Crime Stoppers held a fundraiser at The Emporium in Patchogue to fight the heroin epidemic.

Narcan, also known as naloxone hydrochloride, can immediately reverse the effects of opioid overdoses such as heroin, Oxycontin, Percocet, Percodan and hydrocodone drugs such as Vicodin.

According to a previous Patch article, in April statistics were released that confirmed that Suffolk County leads New York State in heroin-related overdose deaths by a wide margin.

Between 2009 and 2013, 337 heroin-related deaths were reported in Suffolk County.