By CRAIG FREILICH

POTSDAM -- The Town Council will wait for more information before they decide whether or not to supply beach lifeguards with life-saving drugs that could be used in emergency situations.

Board members, at their meeting Tuesday night, discussed but tabled a resolution to supply lifeguards with the opioid overdose medication Naloxone and EpiPens, used to ease allergic shock, and train them in their use until questions about legal liability are answered.

Councilor Rose Rivezzi, also co-chair of the joint town and village Recreation Department, had proposed on behalf of the department a plan to obtain the drugs and have them available for lifeguards at the beaches in Potsdam and Hannawa Falls if a drug or allergy emergency arose. But without a better understanding of what the legal exposure would be to the town and to the lifeguards if something went wrong, board members agreed they could not go forward.

Town attorney Frank Cappello said the board might get some direction from Watertown or Plattsburgh recreation officials who run much larger programs and probably have some experience and knowledge with the issue.

He said that, for instance, he would be concerned that since many liefguards are as young as 16 years old, liability could extend to their parents if something went wrong.

Capello said that according to an associate there is nothing in the law that would protect someone who acts in an emergency from a suit, except for some "good Samaritan" provisions.

He suggested that the town arrange for insurance to cover the town and the lifeguards if they are sued.

Rivezzi apologized for not having that information for the board, since concern had been raised in March, when the plan and its possible liability issues first came before the board.

Naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, has been saving the lives of victims of heroin and other opioid overdoses for years, and its importnace has only grown as the number of overdoses and overdose deaths have spiked in recent years and continue to rise.

EpiPens, used to ease the symptoms of an allergic reaction to things such as peanuts or bee stings, can save lives if the drug is administered before EMTs can respond.

Training in the use of both drugs is part of some Red Cross first aid courses.