It’s not unusual for St. Paul police officers to respond to cases involving people unconscious and barely breathing, and suspected of having overdosed on prescription painkillers or heroin.

Officers can try to administer CPR, but are generally unable to do much else until the arrival of St. Paul firefighters — who carry Narcan, an anti-overdose drug for opioids.

“You want to make a difference for that person, but it can feel very helpless for an officer if a drug like an opioid is involved,” said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman. “There’s nothing we can do but watch them struggle.”

That will change: Officers began training this week in how to use Narcan. By the end of December, they all will carry the medication.

In 2016, 395 Minnesotans died from opioid overdoses, which was an 18 percent increase over 2015, according to the most recent data from the state Department of Health. Roughly half of those deaths were from prescription opioids.

In the seven-county Twin Cities metro, opioid deaths rose 24 percent in 2016 to 250 fatalities. Much of that was in Hennepin County. In Ramsey County, opioid deaths were flat with 34 in 2016 and 35 the year before.

St. Paul Police Sgt. Jon Loretz explains why officers will begin carrying Narcan. St. Paul firefighters have been carrying the medication for a long time, but Loretz says minutes count when people need Narcan. pic.twitter.com/3APO0FT3fB — Mara Gottfried (@MaraGottfried) November 30, 2017

“This is just one more tool that we are giving to officers to use, no different than … AEDs (defibrillators) or tourniquets,” said Jon Loretz, St. Paul police executive sergeant for the major crimes division. “… Minutes count and if an officer’s first on the scene and can provide that immediate support, that may be all … that it takes to save a life until we can get more advanced EMS to the scene.”

The police department said it spent about $34,000 for more than 900 doses.

St. Paul firefighters, who also serve as emergency medical technicians and paramedics, have carried Narcan for many years.

They administered the medication more than 600 times last year, though Acting Fire Chief Matt Simpson noted it is used in some cases if firefighters encounter a person who is unconscious and don’t know whether it’s an opioid overdose case.

Narcan has no effect if the problem is not an opioid overdose and won’t hurt the person, said Dr. Bjorn Peterson, assistant medical director for Regions Hospital Emergency Medical Services.

A number of other law enforcement agencies in the Twin Cities also carry Narcan.

Hennepin County sheriff’s deputies have been carrying the medication since August 2014; a spokesman said they were the first law enforcement agency in the state to do so. Deputies used it seven times last year.

Dakota County sheriff’s deputies were equipped with Narcan soon after Hennepin County and they’ve had eight saves, according to Sheriff Tim Leslie.

The Ramsey County sheriff’s office began using Narcan in March because they saw a need to respond to opioid overdoses.

All Ramsey County deputies and correctional officer sergeants are trained to administer the medication. Deputies in the patrol division have administered Narcan nine times so far and it’s been used once in the Ramsey County jail, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies in the Washington County sheriff’s office also carry Narcan, and Forest Lake police were trained in using the antidote in the last two months.

The Minneapolis police department is developing and implementing a pilot program to equip officers with Narcan, according to a department spokesman. Minneapolis firefighters carry Narcan.

Narcan can be used if someone has overdosed on oxycodone, heroin or fentanyl, for example, or if an officer or K9 has been exposed to an opioid powder that could put them at risk, Peterson said.

St. Paul officers will administer Narcan in a nasal spray that is absorbed through mucus membranes of the nose.

“This is one step towards addressing the deaths from opioid overdoses, but we still need to do more to address the opioid crisis that we’re dealing with,” Peterson said.

Christopher Magan and Mary Divine contributed to this report.