Ohio Firefighter: Heroin ODs Part of the Job Now
Saturday, October 22, 2016
by Fire Engineering
For six hours on a bright October afternoon in Northside last week, the firefighters at Fire Station No. 20 caught a break. They handled the stuff that most people can imagine filling the day of a first responder: a guy having trouble breathing, a fire alarm at the Chase School, an unattended bag left on Lingo Street.
But on that afternoon, the Station 20 team dodged the demon afflicting the Cincinnati region: They did not go on a single run for someone who overdosed on heroin. That, they said, was a fluke, a respite from the miserable task of bringing people who have used drugs back from the edge of death again and again.
"Heroin is part of the job now," said Fire Department Capt. Mike Monahan. "You do get numb to it.
