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New Orleans firefighters are worried about the safety of expired personal protective equipment that they've been using to prevent exposure to COVID-19.
More than 100 firefighter say the department has had them using expired N95 masks, respirators and hand sanitizer for the past two months, the firefighters union tells WDSU-TV. In some cases, the gear they've been issued is more than decade old.
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“You’re doing this job, you’re out there on the front lines, you’re taking these calls, you don’t know what kind of call you’re going on,” Aaron Mischler, the president of the firefighters union told WDSU. “For themselves, it’s one thing, but they’re worried about bringing this back home to their families.”
New Orleans Fire Superintendent Tim McConnell has said that new equipment is on the way, according to the union. However, it's not known when it will get in the hands of firefighters.
Although firefighters might have concerns about expired masks, the department and the union both told WDSU that respirator maker 3M has assured them that even expired masks offer good protection so long as they aren't damaged. Despite Mschler's claims about concerns among the rank and file about the expired equipment, McConnell—who tested positive for COVID-19 three weeks ago but is in good health—says he has not heard from firefighters about such worries.
