YOUNGSTOWN — Firefighters with the Youngstown Fire Department administered the overdose reversal drug naloxone to a man who crashed into a concrete divider on northbound Interstate 680 near state Route 711 early Tuesday.

After administering three doses, the man regained consciousness.

The Youngstown 911 center said a witness told them at 6:38 a.m. a white car bounced off the median a couple of times and was facing the wrong direction in the passing lane.

American Medical Response ambulance company was contacted to respond to the scene, but the company could not at that time.

At 6:41 a.m., a second caller told dispatchers the driver of the car was non-responsive, and the caller could not tell whether the victim was breathing. The witness said the collision took the front tires off the car, according to a police report.

Youngstown police alerted the Youngstown Fire Department of the crash at 6:44 a.m., and Youngstown firefighters responded, arriving at 6:47 a.m.

Firefighters blocked traffic and discovered the patient was unresponsive and had shallow breathing, rapid pulse and pinpoint pupils. With no ambulance available, two firefighters determined it was a possible overdose and administered naloxone, according to a fire department report. After three doses of naloxone, the patient began to respond, the police report states.

At 6:46 a.m., AMR told the dispatch center it still did not have anyone who could respond to the crash. Backup ambulance company Lane LifeTrans also did not have anyone to send, the 911 center reported. At 6:54 a.m., AMR called back and said Lane was on its way.

When Lane arrived, it took the patient to the hospital.

The ambulance shortage issue came up earlier this month when firefighters rescued a girl from a pond near McKelvey Lake, and she had to be transported to the hospital in a personal vehicle because there was no ambulance available.

Youngstown Mayor Jamael “Tito” Brown announced a week ago that AMR was going to add two more full-time ambulances to Youngstown last Friday to reduce the chances of this happening in the future.

On Tuesday, Youngstown fire Chief Barry Finley said he hasn’t talked to AMR to confirm that it added two more ambulances last Friday, but there will always be times when an ambulance is not immediately available.

“That’s the nature of the beast,” he said. It’s the reason he is studying the idea of augmenting ambulance services by having the firefighters handle some ambulance calls.