Danbury firefighter take part in continuous education programs to meet EMS certification requirements and their most recent class dealt with the opioid epidemic. 

Officials say opioid overdoses are now the leading cause of death for U.S. residents under 50 years old, killing 64,000 people in 2017. 

They discussed the continuum of patient care, starting at the pre-hospital level. 

Danbury Fire Department First Responder units recently upgraded to more effective, higher dosage of NARCAN.  Fire officials say the greater concentration of the medication helps offset the respiratory system compromise caused by the overdose, leading to a more stable patient when the care of the patient is transferred to the Paramedic units.