What started as a house party a St. Paul residence quickly turned into an emergency on Saturday. Around 10:30 p.m., police responded to a call of several people outside the home, laying on the grass, apparently unconscious. Six people had to be taken to the hospital after overdosing on a substance a source told our sister station KSTP was fentanyl. However, police have not confirmed this. A responding officer also had to be taken to the hospital after coming in contact with the substance. He has since been released.
The incident is bringing to light the dangers first responders’ face when answering these types of calls.
“We think about these things when big news comes about like that, especially in our state,” said Chad Kuhlman, a Rochester firefighter. “We think about our other first responders across the state and the area.”
Kuhlman says when the Rochester Fire Department gets a call of an unresponsive person, they often don't know if it's due to an overdose or not ... let alone what drugs might be involved.