Saturday, October 3, 2026
The Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department hosted a Narcan training on May 14 to show community members how to save the lives of people suffering drug overdoses.
About 40 attendees of different ages and backgrounds gathered at the fire department to watch Emergency Medical Technician Edward Brennan, of Nassau University Medical Center, give a presentation on overdose statistics and symptoms, and demonstrate how to administer Narcan, a lifesaving medication used to reverse the effects of an overdose.
Town Councilman Thomas Muscarella, who co-sponsored the event, stressed the importance of saving lives and ending the opioid epidemic. “We have to stop it,” Muscarella said. “You should never have to die from your mistakes.”
At the end of the training, attendees were given a free Narcan kit containing two doses of the medication, medical gloves and information to remind them how to use the drug in the event of an overdose.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics from 1999 to 2016, drug overdose deaths increased from about six per 100,000 citizens to almost 20 per 100,000. The data includes 2016, three years after the start of the third wave of the opioid epidemic in 2013, marked by a significant rise in the prevalence of synthetic opioids.
In 1999, CDC statistics show there were 16,849 overdose deaths in the U.S. The most recent statistics, from 2023, show 107,543 overdose deaths.
Brennan, an EMT for 45 years, explained that anyone can be a victim of an overdose, not just young recreational drug users or addicts. Overdoses can even happen to the elderly, he said, who might accidentally take too much of a prescribed medication.
Prescription drugs, Brennan explained, are the third-most commonly abused category of drugs, and over half of all first-time drug abusers obtain them from a friend or family member for free.
Almost 18 out of 100 Americans have used illicit drugs or misused prescription drugs, according to the CDC.
“We’re talking about early recognition of the crisis,” Brennan told the attendees. Early intervention includes identifying the symptoms of an overdose, administering Narcan, calling 911, and referring the individual to addiction treatment.
For those concerned about the legal repercussions of drug use or possession during an overdose, Brennan emphasized the Good Samaritan Law, which protects anyone offering medical help for an overdose from legal consequences. It includes the overdose victim and the person who calls 911.
“The idea is that we want to save lives,” Brennan said. “We don’t want people to back away from a potential lifesaving situation because they’re afraid of some kind of legal issue.”
For the training, Brennan demonstrated how to use Narcan on a dummy. He removed the dispenser from the packaging, placed two fingers on each side of the nose cone, inserted the nozzle into the dummy’s nostril, and firmly pressed the plunger to aerosolize the medication.
Even if the victim doesn’t immediately wake up, Brennan said, the goal is to help restore his or her breathing while emergency personnel are on their way. The goal of the entire process, he stressed, is to save a life, offer hope to the overdose victim and offer an opportunity for recovery.
Carole Brosnan said that she and her husband, James — who was FSMFD’s chief from 1984 to 1985 — attended the training, as they did last year, to refresh their knowledge of how to administer the drug in an emergency.
Narcan has an expiration date, Carole explained, so she wanted to pick up new doses in case the ones she received last year expire before she might need them.
James Brosnan recalled responding to several 911 calls in his time with the department when Narcan was needed. While most were for younger drug users, he said that some involved older people.
Carole said that many people have preconceived notions about who uses drugs — young people or those from disadvantaged backgrounds — but those assumptions aren’t always true.
“I think it could happen to anybody,” she said.
That’s why, she added, it’s important for her to be prepared in case she encounters someone having a drug overdose. She has two granddaughters in their early 20s, she said, and while she doesn’t know whether they or their friends use drugs, she wants to look out for their safety.
“The more you keep it in the back of your mind—God forbid you have an emergency situation,” Carole said, “maybe it’ll come to the forefront of your mind and you’ll know what to do.”
