PHOTO COURTESY MARSHALLTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT MPD Officer Ryan Dehl accepts the department’s lifesaving award from Lt. Tricia Thein for his actions, which led to a Marshalltown woman recovering from a heroin overdose.

Marshalltown Police Department (MPD) Officer Ryan Dehl was recognized with the department’s lifesaving award this past week for his quick and measured actions which led to the saving of a woman’s life after a heroin overdose.

In November, Dehl responded to a distress call in Marshalltown concerning a reported overdose near his patrol area.

When the 18-year MPD veteran arrived on the scene, he found a woman unresponsive on the floor with an individual performing CPR on her.

Dehl described the woman as “wheezing” while laying on the ground, something which he would later learn is called snoring aspira respiration, a telltale sign of an opioid overdose when an individual sounds as if they are snoring loudly, or gurgling.

A particularly chaotic scene at the time, Dehl says his training and years on the force helped to maintain focus on saving a life.

“What you try to do is remain calm, and try to assess what is going on. You try and figure out what you can do to help,” he said, mentioning how he ascertained vital medical information such as the specific drug overdosed on, pulse rate, and time spent unresponsive. “(In) this situation, she clearly needed an ambulance, and she needed medical help, but what can I do in the meantime?”

It was in this meantime that Dehl would continue CPR and radio for another responding officer to bring NARCAN, a life saving medication designed to help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose in minutes.

Dehl would then administer NARCAN through her nostril, helping to block the effects of opiates on the brain and restore breathing.

The woman would later need a second dose of NARCAN from responding EMTs to fully recover, but it was this initial, more immediate dose which helped to jumpstart the process.

While his actions were broadly acknowledged to be crucial to saving the woman’s life by other responders and those on the scene, Dehl admitted he’s his “own worst critic” and was quick to think what he could have done better for the future.

“I’ve thought about how I could be better prepared if this happens again,” Dehl said, noting he wished he had arrived with NARCAN and a CPR mask initially. “I share my situation with other officers, [so it’s] something that they have in the back of their mind.”

NARCAN has become invaluable for many first responders on the frontlines of what has been dubbed the “Opioid Crisis” in recent years to describe the growing number of deaths and hospitalizations from opioids, including both prescription and illicit drugs.

“You try and think about the history of these types of calls law enforcement encountered throughout the country. I mean, we didn’t arrive at getting NARCAN for no reason,” Dehl said, citing instances across the United States which have seen officers and drug users alike have their lives put at risk when faced with opioid overdoses. “We have to take a lesson from that and be more prepared for it, and NARCAN is just a great tool to add to our tool system to help people and other officers.”

The near-overdose is a stark reminder of the pervasive impacts of the crisis, which has seen people from all walks of life and locations impacted.

“We definitely want to encourage families to talk to their young people about addictive narcotics,” said MPD Lt. Tricia Thein. “They’re as dangerous as weapons are in your house, another weapon and quite frankly, parents and grandparents and adults just need to be aware of that. We treat it as a weapon, and we talk to young people about not touching it and if they see it, report it.”

There are drop boxes located in the lobby of the Marshalltown Police Department and the lobby of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office which accept prescription drugs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for proper disposal. The drop box resembles a mailbox and is available for use by any resident, making it a safe way to dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired prescription drugs.

As with many first responders, Dehl was modest in accepting the recognition by his peers, but he appreciated it all the same.

“You don’t do it for the thank yous,” Dehl said. “It doesn’t have to happen very often to make you remember that you are making a difference. I don’t need it to happen very often, but every once in a while when someone says thank you, that can be enough to elevate you and keep you going for a long time.”

Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper was also lavish in his praise of Dehl’s actions.

“We are proud of Officer Dehl. His quick and decisive response saved a human life. Officer Dehl’s actions are representative of his exceptional abilities and are in keeping with the finest traditions of law enforcement,” Tupper said.

For those struggling with addiction, Your Life Iowa is an organization available to provide free, confidential support and resources to help. It can be reached by phone at (855) 581-8111, text at (855) 895-8398, or online at yourlifeiowa.org.

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Contact Nick Baur at 641-753-6611 or nbaur@timesrepublican.com.