Medical PPE for First Responders
Donation protected
What started out as a kind gesture to support the medical staff in the local hospital during a stressful quickly evolving medical crisis due to the Covid 19 virus has now become a larger project. It is now also aimed at supporting and providing the necessary equipment for many first responders as they face potential material shortages for the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). These items are necessary to enable them to stay safe and continue to be able to provide the essential services to the public as they are avowed to do.
It began with a fellow first responder noticing that the nurses and doctors at the local hospital were having to change their practices to protect themselves from being exposed to the Covid 19 virus. One of those changes was simply wearing a mask 24/7 at the hospital. These masks are designed to hook behind the ears and although trivial when the mask is worn for a short amount of time, the nurses were complaining of an ache forming behind their ears from the constant pull. And while this may seem like an insignificant detail in the face of a rather enormous impending crisis, their fellow first responder who had previously enjoyed designing 3D Prints on his home-built printer thought that if he could help in a small way, why not? So he got to work and designed a small simple plastic clip that hooks onto the strings of the standard mask, effectively taking any pressure off the ears. The design is solid plastic making them easy to disinfect and continually reusable.
He dropped the first few of these off at the hospital and they were quickly taken by the staff on shift at that time. The clips were very gratefully received and requests for more were immediate. He has continued to produce these at home and has now delivered over 100 to the Nicola Valley Hospital, and to first responders in Kamloops. These items have been made in his limited spare time as a fellow first responder and at his own expense.
As the Covid Crisis continues to unfold and take hold in our communities many establishments have reported that they are facing the very real fact that they may imminently be looking at a situation where the supply and demand can not keep up with the need for the proper masks to prevent contamination for workers who have no choice but to be in close proximity to those who are potentially carrying the Virus.
With this in mind, he has designed, created and tested an attachment made for the SE District force issued 3M face mask that allows for a single mask to be made into 9 inserts, enabling one mask to last an entire day.
As the word has spread in the first responder communities the requests for the continued production of these PPE pieces have been immense. Requests for more of the clips have continued from Kamloops and Kelowna, and a package is being put together to send as far as Vancouver Island.
Plans have also been received to start making ventilator adapters as well so 1 can be turned into 3 possibly 4.
All Donations will directly fund the creation of difficult to source consumable items for N95 masks, cartridges, surgical face shields, and other PPE which will be directly provided to front-line staff as well as for the purchase of more printers to aid in quicker production as the demand continues to grow.
Printers purchased for this purpose, once the need is no longer for these PPE pieces to be created will be used as an initiative for the younger generation to have the opportunity to learn, experiment and create, by being donated to schools.
By supporting this fundraiser you are helping to effectively protect our front line workers!
Lets help those who are out there to keep you safe! Thank-you in advance for your support!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ppe-personal-protective-equipment-1.5510344
It began with a fellow first responder noticing that the nurses and doctors at the local hospital were having to change their practices to protect themselves from being exposed to the Covid 19 virus. One of those changes was simply wearing a mask 24/7 at the hospital. These masks are designed to hook behind the ears and although trivial when the mask is worn for a short amount of time, the nurses were complaining of an ache forming behind their ears from the constant pull. And while this may seem like an insignificant detail in the face of a rather enormous impending crisis, their fellow first responder who had previously enjoyed designing 3D Prints on his home-built printer thought that if he could help in a small way, why not? So he got to work and designed a small simple plastic clip that hooks onto the strings of the standard mask, effectively taking any pressure off the ears. The design is solid plastic making them easy to disinfect and continually reusable.
He dropped the first few of these off at the hospital and they were quickly taken by the staff on shift at that time. The clips were very gratefully received and requests for more were immediate. He has continued to produce these at home and has now delivered over 100 to the Nicola Valley Hospital, and to first responders in Kamloops. These items have been made in his limited spare time as a fellow first responder and at his own expense.
As the Covid Crisis continues to unfold and take hold in our communities many establishments have reported that they are facing the very real fact that they may imminently be looking at a situation where the supply and demand can not keep up with the need for the proper masks to prevent contamination for workers who have no choice but to be in close proximity to those who are potentially carrying the Virus.
With this in mind, he has designed, created and tested an attachment made for the SE District force issued 3M face mask that allows for a single mask to be made into 9 inserts, enabling one mask to last an entire day.
As the word has spread in the first responder communities the requests for the continued production of these PPE pieces have been immense. Requests for more of the clips have continued from Kamloops and Kelowna, and a package is being put together to send as far as Vancouver Island.
Plans have also been received to start making ventilator adapters as well so 1 can be turned into 3 possibly 4.
All Donations will directly fund the creation of difficult to source consumable items for N95 masks, cartridges, surgical face shields, and other PPE which will be directly provided to front-line staff as well as for the purchase of more printers to aid in quicker production as the demand continues to grow.
Printers purchased for this purpose, once the need is no longer for these PPE pieces to be created will be used as an initiative for the younger generation to have the opportunity to learn, experiment and create, by being donated to schools.
By supporting this fundraiser you are helping to effectively protect our front line workers!
Lets help those who are out there to keep you safe! Thank-you in advance for your support!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ppe-personal-protective-equipment-1.5510344
Fundraising team: Nicola Valley First Responders (2)
Dave Feller
Organizer
Merritt, BC
Kristiann Dupont
Team member