New Pennsylvania law boosts EMS efforts to combat opioid crisis with real-time overdose tracking

VIDEO: When someone overdoses, paramedics and EMS are usually the first people arriving to help.

That’s why a new law in Pennsylvania is helping first responders and EMS with combating overdoses in the Commonwealth.

The goal of the legislation is to provide more accurate and detailed information to responders on the scene faster.

First responders see what’s happening where and how often overdoses occur around Pa. They will also not be required to upload the information onto the Overdose Information Network Dashboard.

“In 2025, we at First Capital EMS responded to 126 opioid overdoses,” executive director of First Capital EMS Benjamin Kirkpatrick said.

The data matters because when officials know where overdoses are spiking, they can move faster to the scene and help people before it’s too late.

“Over 5,000 Pennsylvanians die from accidental drug poisoning every year. I mean, that’s a plague,” Senator Doug Mastriano said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference highlighting Act 18 of 2025.

WPMT-TV FOX 43 York