Schaumburg police save first life with overdose antidote

Schaumburg police have saved their first life from a heroin overdose through the use of the drug Narcan.

According to a statement released Friday, the first police officer to arrive gave the prescribed dose of Narcan to an unconscious 23-year-old woman at about 12:25 a.m. on Feb. 17.

Police had been told by her boyfriend that she overdosed on heroin, and once the Narcan was administered the woman regained consciousness within minutes.

When paramedics arrived they took her to the hospital where she was soon listed in good condition.

Schaumburg Fire Department officials praised the quick action of the officer.

Narcan, now carried by all of Schaumburg's patrol and school resource officers, is a nasal spray that reverses the effects of potentially fatal opioid drug overdoses.

Schaumburg police joined the DuPage County Narcan program at the end of 2014. This was the first time the lifesaving drug has been used in the village.

Overall, this is the 40th life saved since the DuPage County program began in November 2013, and the eighth in 2015 alone, according to the statement.