Visualize 100 people. That many people could fill a medium-sized banquet hall. Many restaurant managers would be happy to serve 100 customers on a given evening. One-hundred is a crowd.

The 100 people recently cited in the news, however, represent more than mere restaurant business. These individuals have another chance at life. They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, parents and siblings whose families have another chance to laugh with, celebrate with and love.

This group of 100 was saved by the opiod overdose reversal drug Narcan. The Connecticut State Police earlier this month announced they had passed this life-saving milestone after administering Narcan to an overdose victim in Woodbury. Troopers began carrying Narcan in October 2014.

While it’s a shame troopers had to administer Narcan so often, it’s a relief that they carried the reversal drug and, as such, gave so many another chance at recovery and life. We advocated for the state’s first responders to carry this life-saving drug and again and again see how important that tool is in the fight against the heroin addiction epidemic that continues to plague so many residents.

With national news accounts often focusing on police/civilian encounters that go wrong, this is a reminder of the role police far more often play in protecting and preserving lives.

The good news goes well beyond the ranks of the Connecticut State Police. Local police officers, as well as firefighters and paramedics, also regularly save lives by administering Narcan. In just one two-day period in July, for example, New London firefighters and paramedics saved two city residents by using the opiod reversal drug.

Still, Narcan alone will not end the scourge of addiction. A person whose life is saved still needs support and treatment. The risk of relapse is great even for those who manage to stay clear of heroin for a period of time. Treatments, even when available, are not one size fits all. Health insurers are not always willing to provide assistance for as long as an individual needs. Life stresses, such as an inability to secure employment with a record of drug offenses, increase the risk of relapse.

Narcan is one tool in this fight. But the path to ending the skyrocketing rate of heroin abuse will not be built with a single tool. We celebrate the lives saved, but continue to advocate for more work on more levels to fight to end this epidemic.