Indian River Sergeant saves life of potential overdose victim
Indian River, Fl (treasurecoast.com) An Indian River County Sheriff’s Sergeant is credited with saving the life of a man who might have otherwise died of a drug overdose.
Sgt. Mike Dilks was first on the scene when a call came in about an unresponsive male. Hearing the call come over Live911 – a tool relatively new to the agency that allows law enforcement to hear 911 calls as they come into dispatch – Sgt. Dilks began heading to the scene before Public Safety Dispatch finished inputting the information, which sheared seconds, if not minutes, from the response time.
Sgt. Dilks found the man lying unresponsive on the kitchen floor. The man’s mother and his sister, along with two young children were at the home.
Sgt. Dilks grabbed Narcan, a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, from his tool kit and administered a dose to the man, in hopes of getting him to respond.
When a response wasn’t detected, Sgt. Dilks deployed a second dose and began chest compressions. The second dose worked and the man was resuscitated just as EMS arrived.
The man was taken to an area hospital for treatment and was expected to make a full recovery.
“We are prepared for it,” Sgt. Dilks said of responding to overdoses. He has deployed Narcan about a dozen times in efforts to revive those who have overdosed. “It’s what we do.”
It is never the Sheriff’s Office’s intent to turn a life-threatening call of drug overdose into a criminal case.
The Sheriff’s Office provides information and assistance for those who struggle with drug usage, including referrals to behavioral health services.
“It’s the last thing to cross our minds,” Sgt. Dilks said. “Our goal is to save lives.”
Anyone struggling with drug usage or knows someone who is struggling, is encouraged to seek help by calling the Substance Awareness Center of Indian River County at (772) 770-4811.
