Cayce Fire to have first Save a Life event to promote drug awareness

The Cayce Fire Department is taking an innovative approach to drug awareness by hosting its inaugural Save a Life Day on March 16, 2024.

Spearheading Awareness in a Sensitive Field

Lindsay McDade, the first community risk reduction manager of the department, is at the forefront of organizing this awareness day. She acknowledges the topic of drug addiction may create discomfort among many, and she hopes the event will help make such conversations more approachable.

The role McDade currently holds is a recent creation, following the financial support the city received from the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund (SCORF). The grant was delivered following a widespread opioid settlement with manufacturers in the state.

Aim of the Event

According to McDade, most drug awareness events do not obtain the success they aim for, mainly due to labeling them explicitly as drug awareness occasions. Therefore, for this event, the emphasis will be on a family-friendly atmosphere with an underlying drug awareness theme.

The aim is to approach everyone, irrespective of their familiarity or experience with substance use disorders. The event content will be sufficiently diverse to cater to those seeking information and those who merely wish to partake in a fun family day.

Collective Approach

But the Save a Life Day will not just focus on drug awareness. The event will also help spread information on domestic violence and human trafficking.

McDade says, her primary aim with the organization of Save a Life Day is to underline that drug addiction affects every family member and not just the person struggling. Through this event, the department wants to show that they care and seek to meet people where they are, while providing an enjoyable community day.

Exciting Event Lineup

The Save a Life Day will feature a range of activities for all ages, including bouncy houses, food donation areas, and teaching sessions on CPR and first aid by Cayce Fire Department officials. Various booths will also cater to other activities.

Partners like The Courage Center, an addiction recovery help center, will provide narcan (an opioid overdose reversal drug) on site and conduct teaching sessions about its usage.

A Collective Business Initiative

Several community businesses are providing critical support for the event. The Chef’s Store is donating burgers while Aspire Bakeries is contributing muffins and cookies for the community event.

Precursor Initiatives

Earlier, the Cayce Fire Department had joined hands with The Courage Center in addressing the high rate of overdoses at a local motel. Both entities worked together to place narcan at the motel along with instructions to use it effectively.

Steve Bullard, the Cayce fire chief, emphasized the necessity for the department’s involvement in combating drug addiction, considering the increasing overdose incidents they responded to.

“It was becoming a huge problem and we… applied for our grant through the opioid recovery fund to help curb the risk,” he said.

With this event, the Cayce Fire Department takes a more approachable step towards handling the drug addiction issue. Organizers are hopeful that the community will respond positively and participate in the inaugural Save a Life Day, to firstly be aware, and secondly contribute positively to curbing the menace of drug addiction.