You could call it a multi-purpose event.

Local not-for-profit Purpose Society will attempt to make its mark in the Guinness World Record books by hosting the world’s largest ever naloxone training session on Thursday, Aug. 31. Naloxone is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, and can be given through the nasal cavity or via needle. Purpose Society’s training will include administering a naloxone through needles.

The Guinness World Record attempt also happens to be the same day International Overdose Awareness Day is taking place.

“To commemorate the day where it’s really needed, we need more people trained. And the more people trained, the more—hopefully—lives can be saved from the toxic drug supply we’re all enduring,” explains Kristina Selby-Brown who, along with her work done through Purpose Society, is the harm reduction coordinator for Fraser Health North.

“I’m not the one that declared it a public health emergency—somebody did, yeah—but yet, there’s a real lack of emergency response,” says Selby-Brown.

“I think [with this] we definitely wanted to highlight that overdose is not an epicentre of only the homeless population, or people with mental health [concerns]. It really does affect everybody, and a lot of the deaths happen indoors from people who use alone,” notes Lola Ječmenica, who also works with Purpose Society.

“[It’s] why we wanted to host such a large community event to realize it. This really, kind of transcends class, and race. New West is really diverse, and there’s so many families and individuals here who would be affected by [an overdose].

“It really is happening everywhere,” Ječmenica adds. “Doesn’t matter where you live. You just can’t escape it.”

“This is not a phrase that I coined—it was a phrase coined down at [the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users: nice people take drugs, and drugs take nice people,” says Selby-Brown, who wanted to underscored the importance of getting trained to use naloxone—and to carry it the way you would carry your keys or your wallet each day.

How easy is the training?

When The Anchor asked about the potential for picking up the skills needed to use naloxone, Selby-Brown explained that there are variables in place.

“Are you terrified of needles? Are you somebody who is afraid to get involved in a situation? [How easy or hard it is] depends. It can feel invasive, because you have to give breath,” she says. “Giving proper breath, basic first aid—to give a breath every five seconds—and then in between breaths you’re going to prepare the naloxone,” says Selby-Brown, though she reminds The Anchor that participants will get a thorough run-down of the steps needed to give aid.

There is also an emotional toll as you may sometimes encounter someone who really is in distress. Even after “Sometimes [the person needing help] is blue, or dark purple, and that could be pretty traumatizing in itself for the person who is responding.”

Selby-Braun says that to this day, the hair on her arms will prickle up, and she’ll get sweaty—but as both she and Ječmenica note, that’s a small inconvenience compared to the opportunity to saving someone’s life.

“If you were to see someone having a heart attack on the street, people who are trained in CPR have a moral duty to respond…this is no different,” says Ječmenica. “This is about saving lives because ultimately, dead people don’t recover. It’s not an issue of, ‘is this person a bad person because they do drugs? It doesn’t matter. It’s not relevant.”

“And even if they choose to not go into recover, even if recovery is not an option for them, that’s not our business.”

How will the record-setting work?

Selby-Brown says she checked to see if there was a record like this through Guinness, and found that there wasn’t—meaning that Purpose will be setting the bar if the attempt is accepted and potentially certified.

“You just have to make sure that you register, and on that registration it does ask for an address [and some other relevant information] because we’ll need that data collected in case I have to prove who is there.” Selby-Brown says the attempt will likely be submitted for the next round of records.

Whether you’ve never been trained, or you have been trained dozens of times, the event is designed to cater to all levels of experience. “I train high school kids, I go up to the high schools and train. My 15-year-old could respond,” adds Selby-Brown. “It’s good to have a refresher, too.”

If you’d like to be part of this record attempt, you’re invited to sign-up through Purpose Society’s Eventbrite page.