Fire chiefs from throughout New England who say their departments are "fighting the good fight" against the opioid epidemic say the opioid reversal drug Naloxone (Narcan) is not enough.

Members of the New England Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs last week adopted a position statement, written by Old Mystic Fire Chief Kenneth W. Richards Jr., that calls for a stronger and more cohesive response to the crisis from the local to the international level. Richards said about 70 chiefs voted unanimously to adopt the position statement at their annual meeting in Portsmouth, N.H.

The position statement will be sent to New England governors, state lawmakers and members of Congress and presented within the next month to the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Dated April 4, it says the recommendations are based on "boots on the ground experience" and the best available medical evidence.

"We salute our colleagues, community organizations and substance abuse coalitions who deal with this scourge daily," says the statement. "While our first responders have been called upon to administer the opioid reversal agent Naloxone (Narcan) more than ever, this life saving drug is not the cure for people suffering from substance abuse disorder."

Among the association's recommendations are:

• Lobbying for United Nations and international cooperatives, diplomatic initiatives and sanctions

• Providing better access to treatment and rehabilitation programs

• Pushing for severe sentencing for the conviction of dealers and suppliers

• Supporting our military and Coast Guard interdictions efforts to cut off the supply of illegal drugs

Richards, second vice president of the New England chapter, had brought the position statement to the regional level after having it approved by the Connecticut chiefs. He said in a phone interview Monday that it was important in the statement to point out the staggering number of deaths from opioid overdoses in 2017 — 64,000 — and to acknowledge good work is being done on several fronts but there needs to be a stronger push for action.

"They're working on it but not pushing hard enough," Richards said. "One of the big things for us is the sentencing. The people who are trafficking the heroin who are getting arrested are getting light sentences. Also, they need to do a better job to get people into treatment."

Richards had attended a sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Hartford in October 2017 of a woman who was involved in the heroin/fentanyl overdose death in May 2016 of 17-year-old Olivia Roark at a Groton motel and received four years in prison. He and some of the others who followed the cases of those involved with Roark's death thought the sentencings were too lenient.

Additionally, Richards said, the United States and United Nations need to put pressure on the countries where the drugs are originating, and the U.S. military needs to step up its efforts to cut off the supply of drugs entering the country.

k.florin@theday.com