The association representing West Virginia firefighters is expressing displeasure over 50,000 protective masks obtained by the state for coronavirus response that don’t meet federal safety standards.
“By trusting the equipment to protect them, our members may have unknowingly placed themselves in situations that put them at further risk,” according to a statement the organization put out today.
Thousands of masks obtained by the state have come under scrutiny this week because they don’t meet standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Those agencies recommend N95 masks which fasten behind the head for a tight seal.
Of West Virginia’s purchase of 100,000 masks, about half came into question because they fasten behind the ear instead, providing less defense against an airborne virus. The other half are the recommended kind.
West Virginia’s public safety secretary, Jeff Sandy, acknowledged spending significant time last month tracking the sourcing and legitimacy of the masks.
Questions arose among state responders about whether the masks were counterfeit, a concern that has prompted the CDC to issue warnings.
Sandy concluded the masks are not counterfeit and acknowledged that they don’t meet NIOSH recommendations, but said federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration have indicated such masks may be used if supplies are short.
“The ones with the ear straps are non-NIOSH, but they are allowed to be used,” Sandy said during a Tuesday news briefing.
The West Virginia State Firemen’s Association today described deep concern that the equipment does not meet NIOSH guidelines.
“We don’t have the expertise to qualify certified personal protection equipment provided to our members, so we have to rely on the State of West Virginia and federal agencies and trust that what’s provided is safe for our use,” stated Jerry Loudin, president of the association.
“It is a serious concern of our organization that we would be put in this type of precarious situation.”
State leaders on Tuesday said the supplies were ordered during a period of increasing, nationwide concern about the coronavirus pandemic. That led to states rushing to compete against each other for supplies.
“I can tell you we all got caught in a situation; we were scrambling in every direction trying to find masks,” Gov. Jim Justice said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Delegate Zack Maynard, R-Lincoln, is the chairman of the House of Delegates Committee on Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services. He said he has a good and regular working relationship with the fire department in his community.
Maynard said that when supplies are short, it’s better to have some protection than none.
“Is a little bit of protection better than nothing? I think it is,” Maynard said in a Wednesday telephone interview.
Maynard noted that just a few weeks ago, hospitals were asking for volunteers to sew masks for workers. The association representing nursing homes has also described a shortage of protective equipment for staff.
“It has been somewhat of a logistic nightmare because you have so many quasi-governmental agencies that didn’t get protective gear because the demand at the top was so needed,” Maynard said.
“I think they’re going to become more available as we produce more.”
Delegate Buck Jennings, R-Preston, is a paramedic, emergency medical technician instructor and chairman for Homeland Security in West Virginia’s House of Delegates.
Jennings expressed concern about whether front-line responders are being provided with masks that seal properly.
“If your mask doesn’t seal it out, the probability of you breathing it in is very good,” Jennings said.
Dean Meadows, president of the West Virginia Emergency Management Council, said that when the masks were ordered responders were trying to obtain any kind of protective gear at all.
“It did provide some level of protection better than we had, which is nothing,” Meadows said Tuesday.
Meadows said local responders were given a choice of returning the masks or keeping them. Many found a way to use them.
“My question was this – how many first responders in the state of West Virginia tested positive because of these masks?” Meadows asked. “Personally, I don’t know of any that were.”