A Maine Capitol Police officer is being hailed as a hero after saving two men who were overdosing.
Officer Gary Boulet had only ever administered Narcan once in his 27-year policing career. But on Friday, he discovered two men sleeping in a convertible in the middle of Arsenal Street in Augusta, and he quickly realized the two men were overdosing.
“When I got there, there were needles all over their laps and stuff like that, used needles,” Boulet said.
One of them was in full cardiac arrest and barely breathing.
“Yeah, you still get nervous,” Boulet said. “It’s like, ‘OK, well this person is not breathing,’ and you want to try to help them and get them back.”
After Boulet administered three doses of Narcan, the man finally regained consciousness.
“Big relief, it’s a big relief to be like, ‘OK, he’s breathing now. He’s coming back. The Narcan did its job,’” Boulet said.
The second man did not need Narcan.
Both men went to the hospital.
The Maine Capitol Police began carrying more doses of Narcan back in April after officers ran out while responding to two different overdoses in the town of Clinton.
“Seven or eight years ago, you probably received one dosage for each officer to carry,” Boulet said. “I suspect the drugs are getting stronger.”
Capitol police now carry six doses of the overdose reversal drug.
“It’s not something you do every day, but it’s just a real good feeling at the end of the day,” Boulet said.
