Weymouth firefighter in hot water over anti-Narcan social media rant

A Weymouth firefighter landed in hot water after posting a viral rant railing against Narcan, the lifesaving opioid blocker.

The fireman, whose name was not released, took to Facebook, calling Narcan “the worst drug ever created.” He went on to say “Let the —- bags die… I for one get no extra money for giving Narcan and these losers are out of the hospital and using again in hours. You use, you should loose (sic).”

Weymouth Mayor Bob Hedlund announced on Monday that the firefighter will be suspended for 90 days without pay and will have to undergo sensitivity and social media training. He will be reassigned to a non-frontline position after his suspension.

“The comments posted do not reflect the philosophy or values we hold as a fire department or town,” Weymouth Fire Chief Keith Stark told Channel 5.

The department is investigating the post, Stark said.

The comments have since been taken down. They have drawn fire from social media users all over the country, but have also generated support from Weymouth social media forums.

“We need to stand up and break the stigma,” anti-opioid activist Billy Pfaff said. “This was a fireman’s personal opinion. I don’t want the state to think that our police and fire are not doing their jobs. We can’t let one man’s Facebook post discredit our police and firefighters. If anyone has an attitude like this, I feel they should not be working the front lines to try to help save people from this deadly disease. Massachusetts is a no stigma state. The town of Weymouth has an amazing program for the police department and fire department.”

According to the Patriot Ledger, there were 185 confirmed and suspected opioid overdoses resulting in 24 deaths in Weymouth in 2015.