A new nasal spray which helps people survive heroin overdoses will soon be available to Kern County Sheriffs.

The Sheriffs Office has become the fourth department in California to implement the Narcan program, a spray which reverses the effects of an overdose by expelling opioid toxins from the brain when administered.

At a news conference Tuesday announcing the program, Lieutenant Lieutenant Doug Jauch said he is grateful for the new sprays because officers sometimes get to a medical emergency before an ambulance and have to administer life saving drugs.

Deputies will go through an additional 14 hours of first aid training and certification before carrying the drug on calls. The department will spend $13,000 to buy the first sprays and an additional $8,500 for refills.

Kelli Forsch