Aurora Fire Rescue first responders will now leave Narcan with people who witness or experience opioid overdoses.

The new, pilot Narcan leave-behind program is a tool to reduce fatal opioid-related overdoses “in a compassionate and non-judgmental way,” according to an AFR news release Monday.

Narcan, the brand name of naloxone nasal spray, can instantly reverse opioid overdoses.

In 2025, AFR responders documented 324 opioid-related overdoses, according to the release. Responders administered naloxone 503 times.

Under the pilot program, AFR has 950 naloxone kits, each of which has two nasal spray devices, for distribution, the release said. They were provided through Colorado’s Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund, which provides free kits to entities including law enforcement agencies, higher education institutions, school districts and first responders.

AFR responders will distribute them to patients identified as at-risk for an opioid overdose and to family members, roommates or other people connected to those who are at-risk, according to the release.

AFR officials will also follow up with patients who get a kit to help support and educate them, the release said.

“AFR’s objective is to ensure patients living with a substance-use or alcohol-use disorder are offered and receive expert guidance, chronic disease management education, advocacy and referral to recovery-oriented programs and healthcare providers and/or harm reduction programs,” the release said.

Studies show that adults treated for opioid overdose frequently have repeated overdoses in the following year, the AFR release said. While overdoses are still a public health crisis, death rates have gone down in part due to the widespread distribution of naloxone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.