Seattle first city to equip first responders with opiate recovery drug Buprenorphine

Seattle will be the first city in the nation with first responders allowed to administer Buprenorphine — a medication that treats opioid use disorder — while in the field responding to a crisis.

This comes as an expansion of a pilot program the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) ran earlier this year that allowed certain paramedics to administer the new medicine in the field.

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“Providing treatment for people suffering from substance use disorder and addiction is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do,” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said in a prepared statement. “People treated with this highly effective and evidence-backed medication are likelier to agree to follow-up care and conversations, an essential step to breaking the cycle and getting them the help they need.”

Buprenorphine is a Schedule III drug and a synthetic analog of thebaine — an alkaloid compound derived from the poppy flower, according to the National Library of Medicine. Buprenorphine is mainly used to treat acute, chronic pain and opioid dependence, and the FDA approved it to be used in agonist substitution treatment — a method for addressing addiction by substituting a more potent opioid, such as heroin, with a less potent opioid, such as Buprenorphine or methadone.

“Buprenorphine substitute treatment enables patients to focus on therapy rather than enduring uncomfortable withdrawals,” Rachna Kumar, Omar Viswanath and Abdolreza Saadabadi with the National Library of Medicine stated. “The drug proves to be an effective choice for addressing opioid dependence by diminishing cravings and enhancing the overall quality of life during addiction treatment.”

SFD responded to more than 35 patients per week experiencing an overdose, according to city officials, and the department’s post-overdose response unit, Health 99, has responded to more than 514 overdoses since it launched in July 2023.

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City officials stated 735  people died of drug overdoses in Seattle last year.

“I want to thank the Washington State DOH for moving us forward on this initiative to train more of our personnel to administer this medication to the people we serve,” SFD Chief Harold Scoggins said. “This allows us to continue meeting patients where they are at versus only providing access to the medication at facilities.”

The buprenorphine pilot is supported by additional public health investments from Harrell’s 2025 proposed budget, with $14.5 million specifically dedicated to addressing the opioid crisis.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.