Firefighters hand out masks, make face shields to help community

Firefighters at Central Oktibbeha Volunteer Fire Department are working to ensure no resident goes without personal protective equipment (PPE) as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the state.

Capt. Laurie Grace said county fire departments received masks through the Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency in March to give out to the public. Central Oktibbeha still had some left over, she said, so firefighters decided to give them out on Saturdays.

“They're left over from the big giveaways, and instead of stockpiling them, we're trying to set up between 12:00 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturdays,” she said. “We're better off with them out in the community than them sitting in a box up here.”

Grace said firefighters plan to continue to give out masks 12-2 p.m. Saturday until they have no more left to give.

Central Oktibbeha

volunteer firefighters have also lent their hand to making face shields to help out their fellow first responders stay safe from the virus. Grace said she came up with the idea after counties and cities scrambled to find PPE earlier this year.

“OCH helped cover the cost of materials for the first round that we made,” she said. “Out of that, they got 100 because they didn't have any either. I said, ‘you get the second hundred. The first 50 go to the fire departments.'”

Over the past few months, Grace said firefighters have made more than 300 face shields and are continuing to make more as time allows. Plastic face shields are cut from rolls of heavy plastic using a laser cutter, she said. Then, firefighters attach a foam brow guard and a strip of elastic.

A long row of table serves as an assembly line at the department where the firefighters can assemble a few masks at a time when no calls are coming in. Grace said the department uses a heavier plastic than many consumer shields to keep the shield from bending in conditions first responders often are called out in. Additionally, she said the foam brow pieces use stiffer foam, which cuts down on the shield rubbing on glasses or obscuring vision.

“They're a little heavier duty than a lot of the other ones, than even the medical ones, so they can be disinfected with pretty much anything,” she said. “With the plastic we're using, they're meant to be reused.”

While the fire department is giving away cloth masks, Grace said the face shields are being sold. The reason for the cost, she said is that Oktibbeha County's fire departments have seen a significant uptick in the number of calls they receive.

Fire Chief Joe Pennell said many people in quarantine have been trying their hands at the culinary arts, which has made for large increase in fire alarm calls.

“It's people trying to cook who can't cook,” he said.

In addition to the heavy call

volume, which costs departments more in gas and truck maintenance, Grace said many departments have had to cancel their usual fundraising activities due to the virus. The money from the face shields, she said, helps offset that cost and make up some of the money departments usually from fundraising.

With school starting back soon, firefighters are expecting the demand for face shields to pick up. For those looking for a way to help their community, Grace said they are always looking for volunteers to help and perpetually recruiting new members to join the fire station.

For more information about the masks, face shields or Central Oktibbeha Volunteer Fire Department, find them on Facebook or call Chief Joe Pennell at 662-418-9436.