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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 5. 2015
Sheriff and police officers add drug to stop overdoses as standard equipment
By Dan Pool, editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
In response to the number of
overdose deaths across the coun
try tied to opioids, the Pickens
sheriff office has recently com
pleted a training course and their
officers and the City of Jasper
police officers will begin carry
ing Evzio.
The hand-held, single use in
jector can be administered to
anyone found non-responsive
and suspected to have overdosed
on an opioid. This drug class in
cludes common prescription
painkillers like oxycontin as well
as heroin. The drug should
counter-act overdose symptoms
and is already used by medics.
The hand-held injectors have
recorded audio messages that
will instruct the officers how to
administer it when activated. In
a demonstration by Captain
Frank Reynolds, the instructions
were very simple: remove a red
safety tab and slam the small
square device into the victim’s
thigh.
A training class in January in
cluded 80 people from the sher
iffs office, City of Jasper police
and the drug court program. A
federal grant will cover the cost
of training and equipping all the
officers with the handheld injec
tors. There will be no cost to
local taxpayers.
Sheriff Donnie Craig said
they had trained everyone in
cluding those on his jail staff and
school resource officers.
“There are a number of over
doses,” the sheriff said. “We are
one of the first on the scene and
often it will be three to five min
utes before an ambulance ar
rives. This is something we can
administer.”
Reynolds said in addition to
the illegally used drugs, opioid
overdoses could happen acciden
tally with people with health is
sues taking pain-killers and
inadvertently in some cases in
volving children.
Reynolds said the sheriff’s of
fice felt comfortable adding
these injectors to their standard
equipment as “there is only a mi
nuscule chance of any negative
side effects.”
The use of these type drugs
has been approved by neighbor
ing law enforcement agencies in
the municipalities of Woodstock
and Holly Springs for several
months. They have already been
credited with saving lives.
In Pickens, ambulance crews
were already carry similar drugs
but it took changes passed by the
state legislature last year to allow
law enforcement officers to ad
minister them.
The sheriff’s office worked
with Dr. John Aicher on the med
ical issues to allow the officers
here to carry them.
Iff
Georgia Association for Pupil Transportation
Opinion: State Health Benefit Plan
Insurance for School Bus Drivers
Submitted by Bruce Godfrey,
Transportation director for
Pickens schools
Governor Deal says that it’s
not fair that school bus drivers
who work less than 30 hours a
week receive State Health Bene
fit Plan (SHBP) coverage when
other state employees who work
less than 30 hours per week do
not. The fact is however, that
overly simplistic comparisons of
positions or groups utilizing only
one factor can often lead to an
assessment that is shortsighted;
neither accurate nor effective. In
our opinion, the governor’s solu
tion reflects that flaw. His solu
tion proposes that equal (zero
SHBP benefits for those non-cer-
tified school system employees)
is fair.
But we all know equal does
not necessarily mean fair. To be
fair and effective, solutions need
to be tailored to the specific,
unique characteristics of the
issue, with consideration towards
the needs of the people being
served. Let us be clear. We value
the hard work of every state em
ployee, whether full time or part
time. This issue is not, and never
has been, about them.
It is about school bus drivers.
Senator Jack Hill said this week,
“Traditionally, there’s been a
unique relationship between
school bus drivers and children.”
Why? Because at its core, the re
lationship is about protecting and
teaching children, and the special
commitment school bus drivers
have to support students and the
education they receive. It’s about
the relationship that school bus
drivers develop with the children
they serve twice a day. They lis
ten, teach, support and most im
portantly they protect. School
bus drivers by the very nature of
their job protect and serve chil
dren.
So here is the real issue. If
school bus drivers are driven
from their profession as a result
of this recommendation being
approved, how will we ensure
that every Georgia student re
ceives access to quality learning
opportunities? How will we be
able to protect and support stu
dents during the entire educa
tional process? Pupil
transportation is an essential
component to the process of de
livering quality learning in
schools. It protects our students
and ensures they arrive to school
on time and ready to learn.
The most effective way pupil
transportation providers deliver
this vital support service is to
employ quality, professional
school bus drivers. SHBP cover
age is an important tool that al
lows us to recruit and retain
employees who are willing and
able to meet the demands of this
position. In surveys being con
ducted across the state, school
system transportation directors
are reporting that 20-100% of
their school bus drivers do not
work 30 hours a week. School
system officials are concerned
that many of the drivers affected
by this recommendation will be
forced to consider leaving the
profession if SHBP coverage is
no longer available to them.
SHBP coverage is the primary
reason most of our school bus
drivers decided to begin a career
in pupil transportation. This ben
efit has been earned for three
decades by school bus drivers
serving the children in their com
munities. It was approved 30
years ago by legislators who un
derstood that education is about
more than just teachers and
classrooms.
K-12 public education is a
system consisting of valued team
members. Each possesses unique
expertise and skills, providing
access to learning, learning op
portunities in the classroom, or
specialized, needed support
throughout the school day. Each
group also protects the children
who leave the security of their
home every morning to begin
their journey towards becoming
productive citizens. School bus
drivers are necessary and impor
tant to that system. The loss of
school bus drivers as a result of
this recommendation will put
students at greater risk, reduce
access to learning opportunities
and diminish the effectiveness of
the education system.
In fairness, we want to con
clude by offering the following
solution for anyone who might
be interested in becoming eligi
ble for coverage in the SHBP:
Submit an application to your
local school system. Allow them
to check your motor vehicle
record, references and criminal
background. If that’s found to be
satisfactory, they’ll arrange for
you to undergo an interview,
physical examination and drag
and alcohol testing. Once you
successfully complete that, all
you have left to do is:
• Successfully complete the
State Department of Education
School Bus Driver Training Pro
gram which includes both class
room and “hands-on” training.
• Pass all related written
exams and your hands-on driv
ing, loading & unloading evalu
ations.
• Pass all written and skills
(driving) tests required for re
ceiving a commercial driving li
cense.
• Learn, develop and maintain
the professional driving skills re
quired to routinely operate a 38
foot, 25,000 pound commercial
vehicle with 40-70 children rid
ing behind you, while moving on
routes at speeds up to 40 mph
and navigating through your
community’s motor vehicle and
pedestrian traffic.
• Demonstrate the ability and
commitment to precisely execute
loading and unloading require
ments that protect students.
• Be able to teach students
critical safety behaviors that will
help them protect themselves,
both on and off the school bus.
Work to develop, reinforce and
improve those behaviors in stu
dents.
• Develop the behavior man
agement skills necessary to cre
ate and maintain a climate of
safety, order and respect for all
students who ride the bus.
• Agree to submit to random
drag and alcohol testing as re
quired for employment in a
“safety sensitive position.”
Fulfill these requirements and
we are pretty sure the school
system will gladly arrange an
ideal assignment for you.
You’ll work independently,
outside of an office and enjoy
the company of 60-150 chil
dren twice a day. You’ll begin
your work day around 6 a.m.
and end it around 5 p.m. You'll
travel the scenic roadways of
Georgia and they’ll even throw
in a company work vehicle for
you to use! Oh, and by the way,
as a Georgia school bus driver,
you too will be eligible to re
ceive SHBP coverage. We hope
our Georgia legislators ensure
those benefits will continue to
be there in 2016 and beyond!
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*
A training class in January included 80 people from the sheriff office, City of Jasper police
and the drug court program who got the basics on the auto-injectors used to help overdose
victims. A federal grant will cover the cost of training and equipping all the officers with the
handheld injectors.
The hand-held, single use injector can be administered to anyone found non-responsive
and suspected to have overdosed on an opioid.
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