By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
According to law enforcement, there is a belief that small-town America just isn’t subject to drug problems.
What’s been considered a city problem, however, is slowly drifting into the suburbs, as evidenced by a four-overdose call fielded in Burlington Jan. 19.
According to the City of Burlington police, four friends – two of which were siblings – overdosed on heroin the lower unit of an apartment complex.
All four ended up needing Narcan, a narcotic reversal agent that can – and has – brought overdose patients back from the brink of death.
Jeff Koenen, the second lieutenant with the Burlington Area Rescue Squad, was first on scene at the call, and confirmed that Narcan has been used five other times on calls so far in 2016.
“Unfortunately, it’s not unexpected,” Koenen said. “Being a small town, people may want to turn a blind eye to the issue.
“But it’s here, and it’s going to be here to stay.”
City of Burlington Police Lieutenant Brian Zmudzinski said, “I don’t think we’re immune.”
In the situation on Jan. 19, Zmudzinski said two of the users were recreational heroin users, while the other two were trying it for the first time.
“Obviously, even the seasoned users had problems,” Zmudzinski said.
He called the rescue a “successful collaborative effort” between rescue, Medix and ParaTech Ambulances services, as well as the staff at the Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington emergency room.
Heroin, and by relation, opiate abuse, has come to the forefront in recent years. Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling took action in 2014 with a series of forums at area schools to inform and educate.
Southern Lakes Newspapers produced an award-winning series on the drug and its use, and over the last two years, more programs have sprung up as efforts to curtail use of the drugs have increased.
As Schmaling said last week, the drug remains an ever-increasing problem.
“We’re seeing a large number of people who are abusing narcotics,” Schmaling said. “When those are no longer available, we see them resort to heroin, which is readily available.”
What is helping law enforcement now is the availability of Narcan. The county sheriff was the first in the state to place the reversal agent in squad cars, and the department has had 19 documented cases of using it as of mid-February.
All but one of those 19 survived.
City of Burlington police are going to have the drug in their squads beginning in April.
“It’s like anything in law enforcement,” Zmudzinski said. “It’s nice to have the resource.”
But those looking for the trend to quit spiraling upward may have a long wait. Schmaling said the drug is the kind where one use can have you hooked, and the country drug unit is “extraordinarily busy” trying to investigate both prescription opiate drug abuse and heroin use.
He is still urging parents to talk to their children, teenagers especially, and for everyone to learn of the proper methods of disposing of drugs.
With heroin, he said, stopping the issue before it starts is critical.
“There’s not much of an exit strategy,” Schmaling said, “except death.”
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Unfortunately much of the heroin addiction begins with prescription drugs. The war on addiction needs to start with finding healthier alternatives for healing.
Of course Schmaling says death so him and his cronies can keep killing people
I am not so sure you are correct with what you say, but Schmaling is all about making himself look good by being on tv, making quotes to the paper, and talking a good game. There is a reason no one wants them to patrol their communities. They waste tax paper dollars by patrolling areas that are already policied. Just look at the City of Burlington, why are their deputies patrolling the city when we have our own police department. Why doesn’t someone do a story on their staffing levels!