Broward deputies now armed with life-saving opioid overdose antidote

Most every deputy is now armed with a nasal spray pump that can bring an opioid overdose victim back from the brink of death.

It’s the latest move in the fight against the — and critical given the high number of overdose calls sheriff’s deputies respond to, sometimes even arriving before paramedics do. Naloxone, the life-saving drug commonly know by its brand name Narcan, takes seconds to revive an overdose victim.

In 2016, Broward County saw 582 drug overdose deaths, according to the medical examiner. This year, hit that mark just halfway through 2017, and the death toll is projected to reach 1,000 by year’s end, according to David Scharf, executive director for the sheriff’s community programs.