Overdose Emergency Response

• Unconscious (not moving/unresponsive)
• Slow or not breathing (less than 1 breath every 5 seconds)
• Snoring or gurgling sounds
• Tiny pupils
• Lips and nails turning blue or grey
• Skin feels cold and clammy to the touch

After calling 9-1-1, you can call campus security at 604-451-6856 if you’re on a BCIT campus. Campus security officers are equipped with and trained to administer naloxone.

The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act protects people who call 9‑1‑1 about overdoses.

Follow the SAVE-ME steps:

• Stimulate: Try to wake the person. If unresponsive, call 911.
• Airway: Check if they are breathing normally and check for a pulse (heartbeat). Tilt their head back gently and open their mouth.
• Ventilate: Pinch their nose closed, give 1 breath every 5 seconds. You can use a breathing mask if you have one.
• Evaluate: Are they breathing normally (1 breath every 5 seconds)? If not, get ready to use naloxone.
• Medication: Prepare a 1 mL (one millilitre) dose of naloxone. Your kit may include a nasal spray or an injectable liquid—follow the steps to administer it.
• Evaluate Again: If they are still not breathing normally (1 breath every 5 seconds), give another dose. Put the person on their side and stay with them until emergency services arrive. Naloxone wears off between 30 and 120 minutes and the overdose can return.

Learn more at RespondToOverdose.gov.bc.ca.

Access to Naloxone at BCIT:

Naloxone is a medication that reverses an accidental overdose from fentanyl and other opioids. Kits are free and anonymous for people at risk of opioid overdose or those who may need to respond to an overdose.

Nasal naloxone, or Narcan, is administered via the nostril, and is available in:

• All First Aid Kits and in designated naloxone cabinets located next to Automated External Defibrillator (AED) stations across BCIT campuses. Each kit contains multiple doses.
• Naloxone cabinets located in the living rooms of all Student Housing (Burnaby).

Campus Security and First Aid personnel are trained and equipped to administer naloxone. In some cases, they may administer intramuscular naloxone, which is given via needle into the muscle.