A call for help in a drug overdose left three Thomson-McDuffie emergency responders in the hospital Thursday.
“Three of our fire EMS workers started experiencing some signs of illness. Just didn’t feel right,” Thomson-McDuffie Emergency Services Chief Stephen Sewell said.
After responding to the scene of an overdose that left one man dead and another man needing medical attention, first responders were taken to Piedmont McDuffie for fentanyl exposure. Chief Stephen Sewell said first responders can become exposed to fentanyl in a number of ways.
“If it’s in a powder form, it can get in the air and can be breathed in and ingested like that. If you have cuts on your skin it’s a possibility,” Sewell said.
He said drug overdoses are increasing in the area. Sewell said Thursday’s situation shows how dangerous fentanyl can be.