Luis driven to save lives

Nearly two years ago, retired firefighter and paramedic Luis Garcia decided to use his savings not to buy a new car as he’d intended but to instead make a very different type of purchase.

The Florida resident spent $40,000 on 800 doses of a new nasal spray that revives overdose victims.

He’d spent 28 years answering emergency calls and knew the spectre of overdose loomed large.

Luis has since raised a further $30,000 online and has given out 1,000 sprays in the past five months, while hosting public awareness classes.

Already he’s saved nearly 100 lives and spends his time listening to a police scanner and rushing to the scene of overdoses to resuscitate the victims.

Old habits die hard, because even in retirement, the emergency worker is still saving lives.