June 1, 2010 – Scott Health & Safety today announced the donation of more than $600,000 worth of safety equipment to Haitian first responders, replacing badly needed supplies destroyed during the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.
While rebuilding has begun, public safety services still lack needed resources. The donations, made in partnership with Protect the Force and other safety equipment providers, were made to fire departments, the national power company, hospitals and clinics – all of which lost essential safety equipment during the earthquake.
"Scott is glad to be a part of this effort to restore important public safety services to Haiti and to help keep their first responders safe after the devastating earthquake," said Trent Smith, VP of Sales, Americas at Scott Health & Safety.
The loss of equipment prevented the only fire station in Port-au-Prince from operating effectively. At the same time, firefighters faced an increased threat of fires due to the high number of displaced people depending on fire-based cooking. Scott provided the Port-au-Prince City and Airport Fire Departments with Self Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA), protective masks, eyewear, filters and gas detection equipment.
Electricity is still a rare commodity in Haiti following the earthquake. Tasked with tremendous power restoration efforts, Electricité d'Haïti (EDH), the national power company, has been underequipped and in need of safety equipment. Scott has provided hardhats and protective eyewear for power line service workers.
As a result of high injury volumes and the prevalence of disease, emergency medical supplies have also been in short supply. Respiratory protective masks with filters were donated by Scott and collected and distributed by the Associated Public Health Labs for use in Haitian hospitals and clinics.
In addition to donating safety equipment, Scott Health & Safety shared with Protect the Force and its partners in the shipping, transportation, satellite communications and customs expenses.
