As part of the fight against the heroin epidemic, police officers in Mercer County are being trained on the use of the opiate overdose reversal drug Naloxone.

The Hermitage Police Department are being trained this week by Special Agent in Charge Gary Tuggle of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Philadelphia Field Division on the use of the overdose antidote, which was purchased for them through funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

Nalaxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, is a medication used to reverse the effects of a known or suspected overdose from prescription opioids and illegal opioids.

"In an effort to save lives during the worst drug crisis in our history, every law enforcement agency across the Commonwealth should train and equip their officers on the use of Naloxone," said Tuggle. "We are partnering with DDAP to provide this training, and encourage all those law enforcement departments not yet carrying Naloxone to reach out to DDAP to find out about training and Naloxone available to them."

In 2015, 3,383 people died from a drug-related overdose in Pennsylvania, 18 of those in Mercer County. Heroin and the presence of at least one synthetic opioid were reported in 81 percent of these deaths.

"Local police have always had a close working relationship with the DEA due to our respective and sometimes overlapping drug enforcement missions," said Chief Eric Jewell of the Hermitage Police Department. "I truly appreciate the Naloxone training our federal law enforcement partners have offered to provide my officers as I know it will save lives locally."