Five correctional officers recently required medical treatment after being exposed to fentanyl in a B.C. prison.
The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers (UCCO-SACC-CSN) stated in a release that on June 11, the five officers came into contact with the highly toxic substance inside an Abbotsford institution.
Three of the officers had to be transported to the hospital by ambulance; some required Narcan and one officer needed chest compressions on the way to the hospital.
The union said that the fentanyl was discovered during a routine targeted search of the institution.
During the search, an inmate became aggressive and attempted to destroy the fentanyl, which then exposed the officers, the union said.
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This is not an uncommon incident as violence continues to rise in institutions; so too does the volume of illicit drugs, the union added.
“We simply cannot ignore the reality facing Correctional Officers every day. The abundance of dangerous drugs inside our institutions is putting officers’ lives at risk,” John Randle, regional president for UCCO-SACC-CSN’s Pacific Region, said in a release.
“Our members were simply doing their jobs when they were exposed to one of the most lethal drugs on the streets. This should never happen.”
The union is calling for stronger security measures inside Canada’s institutions.
Frédérick Lebeau, national president of UCCO-SACC-CSN, said Correctional Service Canada’s cuts to security positions will “significantly” reduce officers’ ability to detect and intercept drugs before they enter the institutions.
“These decisions will only make federal institutions more dangerous for correctional officers, staff, inmates, and ultimately the general public,” he said in a release.
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