Libertyville paramedics save overdose victim

Libertyville paramedics saved the life of a man who overdosed on narcotics Sunday morning.

Firefighters were called to a home on the 1000 block of Crestfield Avenue at 2:39 a.m. Sunday, where they found two people who had overdosed on what they believe was heroin, said Libertyville Fire Department Lt. Bill Bending.

One of the men was unconscious, not breathing, and "near death," Bending said. Firefighters used more than one unit of naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, and then did cardiac work on him until he resumed breathing, he said. They also treated the second person, taking both the men to the hospital.

Their ages were not available Sunday morning.

Libertyville paramedics have "had our share" of overdose calls in recent years, Bending added, and have used naloxone, also known as Narcan, to save lives on many occasions.