HAMILTON, Alberta — Public health officials made a formal request that firefighters should carry EpiPens when responding to a medical emergency of acute allergic reactions Monday.
Firefighters don’t currently carry epinephrine injectors, although firefighters in other cities do. The requested program equipment and training would cost around $25,500, reported CBC.
Since the devices expire every 18 months, they would need to be replaced; which would cost an additional $23,000 a year. Over the last year, there were 99 emergency calls for anaphylaxis — and for almost one out of every five calls firefighters were the first on scene.
Epinephrine is administered through disposable needles that are roughly the size of a highlighter and are injected via a person’s muscle.