HYATTSVILLE, Md. (DC News Now) — Fentanyl overdose is a growing problem across the DMV area and as numbers continue to climb community members in Prince George’s County are learning how to properly minister Narcan in case of emergency.

“This is a real critical growing need in our community and really across the US,” said Cindy Zork, communications manager for the city of Hyattsville.

Several people learned how to recognize an opioid overdose, what to do in that situation, and how to properly administer Narcan.

For Hyattsville resident Luis Chavez, he chose to attend Thursday’s class so he can be ready for any situation.

“To help friends, family, we don’t know when we’re going to have to use Naloxone. We need to know how to help everybody,” he said.

The city of Hyattsville saw 20 overdoses last year, four people died. That’s only a small number of what the county and state are seeing.

“[In the city of Hyattsville] There was an increase last year particularly towards the end of the year, and most troubling there was an increase in use of teenagers experiencing overdoses,” said Zork.

“City staff including our police force are required to take these trainings so that we have resources when we come across people in need, but we recognize that we can’t be everywhere all at once. So we’re encouraging community members to participate in the trainings as well,” she said.

Each participant received a certificate and a Narcan kit including the medication in the form of a nasal spray, and personal protective equipment.

“This actually can really happen to anybody. Prescription opioids are still very common and you think about maybe your elderly neighbor who accidentally takes two pills forgetting that they’ve taken one already, [either a] distracted or retired parent, it’s important that everyone has information about this and access to tools,” said Zork.

The city will host another training session at the city building at 10 a.m. on Friday. For more information regarding Narcan training or the opioid crisis in Prince George’s County you can reach out to the Prince George’s County Behavioral Health Department.