As Tulsa’s first responders were called to more and more overdoses in recent years, Captain Justin Lemery knew the city’s Fire Department needed to act — to do something that could stem these crises before they happen.
Oklahoma is in the thick of what experts have called the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic, driven by a rise in opioids and psychostimulants like methamphetamine being used together. In Tulsa, the Fire Department responds to about eight overdoses a day, said Lemery, the department’s director of emergency medical services.