The InterAgency Board for Emergency Preparedness and Response (IAB) says that in 2018, 64% of calls to fire departments were for medical aid. This percentage is already on pace to increase that percentage due to COVID-19. Firefighters are on the front lines of community safety during this pandemic, and you need equipment effective enough and reliable enough to protect your own health as you do your job and protect the health of others. Disposable N95 masks provide that level of protection, but they are in short supply. The IAB, CDC, FDA, and OSHA all recommend reusable half-mask elastomeric respirators as cost-effective, space-saving, and effective supplements to the N95 for use against COVID-19.
Elastomeric, half-mask respirators are made of rubber or synthetic material and designed, using a P100 filter, to be cleaned and disinfected so they can be put back into service. This allows a single mask to do the work of hundreds if not thousands of disposable N95. Reusable elastomeric respirators also decrease costs because they require only a fraction of the storage space needed for N95s.
For instance, one hospital network with sites in Pennsylvania and New York experienced a 95% decrease in its reliance on N95s during the current pandemic within one month of acquiring industrial elastomeric half-mask respirators paired with P100 filters.
Because reusable respirators allow for filter interchangeability, you can adapt your respirator by fitting it with a filter that is appropriate for the current situation and hazard.
Supplementing your disposable N95 mask stockpile with reusable alternatives increases your flexibility as you plan and prepare for your emergency response to this pandemic and public health emergencies in the future, threats to national security, and natural disasters. Overall, those in the fire services who put their own lives at risk while combating COVID-19 can find reliable equipment approved to provide an acceptable level of protection in reusable elastomeric half-mask respirators. Contact us to learn more.
