Rochester is not immune from a heroin epidemic gripping the state, public safety officials told Selectmen on Monday night.

At the board’s request, Police Chief Paul Magee, Fire Chief Scott Weigel and Chief Dispatcher Tracey Eldridge provided information on how their departments have responded.

“Heroin has just exploded,” Magee said. “A lot of people using prescription drugs illegally often find they can’t afford them and switch to using heroin.”

Magee said heroin costs between $3 and $5 per bag. Prescription painkillers, such as Percocet and Oxycontin, cost $20 to $40 for addicts looking for a comparable dose, Magee said.

Twenty-five years ago, Magee said heroin cost approximately $20 per bag.

“With the drastic decrease in cost it’s become the drug of choice for a lot of people,” he said.

And that’s led to an increase in emergency calls for drug overdoses and fatalities.

Magee said from Nov. 13 to Feb. 14, 185 fatal heroin overdoses were recorded in the state, not including statistics from Massachusetts’ three largest cities. Those cities keep separate records.

“That’s an astronomical number,” Magee said.

In Rochester, police and EMS responded to three heroin overdose calls and four overdoses not related to heroin last year.

In 2014, there was one fatality caused by heroin overdose, Magee said.

“We are experiencing the same issues as other communities,” he said. “I think that's in line with other communities our size.”

Selectmen asked if the lifesaving treatment Narcan is available to first responders. When administered correctly, Narcan revives someone experiencing difficulty breathing due to an overdose.

Weigel said the drug is stored inside town ambulances. While some police departments keep Narcan in cruisers, Weigel and Magee said that’s not necessary in Rochester.

With the ambulance department staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, EMTs often arrive at medical emergencies the same time as police.

Weigel said EMTs are trained to use Narcan and ambulances are well equipped to store the temperature sensitive medicine.

Eldridge said she’s developing a protocol for dispatchers to use when an overdose is reported. Within the next two weeks dispatchers will have a script to follow when assisting people who call in an overdose.

That includes telling a caller how to administer Narcan if it’s in the home. Eldridge said Narcan is available at no cost to anyone living with someone who is dealing with addiction.

Selectmen thanked officials for being proactive.

“It’s not just an inner city problem,” Selectman Naida Parker said.

“Not anymore,” said Magee.