State Sen. Rob Rolison, R-Poughkeepsie, is pictured during a recent news conference at the Poughkeepsie Police Department after an officer was taken to a regional hospital after being exposed to fentanyl during a traffic stop.

Those who expose first responders to fentanyl would face a felony charge under legislation proposed recently.

Sen. Rob Rolison, R-Poughkeepsie, wants to establish the offense of aggravated reckless endangerment when a person knowingly possesses fentanyl or a fentanyl derivative and exposes it to a first responder or correction officer. Rolison wants the new charge to be a bail qualifying offense so judges can set bail if the charge is used.

Such an incident happened in late September in Jamestown. City police officers were bringing a Jamestown woman into the city jail for an outstanding bench warrant when they allegedly found the woman was hiding drugs. The woman fought with officers and allegedly tried to ingest the drugs to avoid further charges. During the altercation, the baggie of suspected drugs split open, exposing officers to a white powdery substance after it became airborne. The four officers were transported to UPMC for treatment after the baggie of suspected drugs resulted in a positive test for fentanyl.

Rolison said he was prompted to draft legislation due to a similar incident in Poughkeepsie earlier in September when a Poughkeepsie police officer suffered from the near-fatal effects of the fentanyl he was exposed to while on a routine call involving two people possibly using the drug. One person was charged and released with an appearance ticket while the other person was not charged. According to midhudsonnews.com, a second officer stayed with the person being charged while another officer rushed his partner to the MidHudson Regional Hospital, where Narcan was administered and the officer regained consciousness.

“Fentanyl poses a serious safety risk to our first responders and correction officers and this legislation increases penalties for those who carry fentanyl and recklessly expose a first responder or correction officer to the drug,” Rolison wrote. “This legislation establishes the offense of aggravated reckless endangerment which is a class C felony and carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.”

Chautauqua County has seen a rash of overdose deaths in recent weeks that public health officials say is likely due to the presence of fentanyl in street drugs.

Rolison’s bill won’t be cosnidered until at least January when the next state legislative session begins.