IAFC pitches survey to highlight need for personal protective equipment

Harried by an ongoing shortage of personal protective equipment for some of the emergency responders who need it most amid the COVID-19 pandemic — firefighters and EMS workers — the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is pitching a survey they hope to present directly to President Donald Trump as proof of ongoing need.

The IAFC notes that even with the $2.2 trillion CARES Act in place, little is being done to help frontline responders. While the organization agrees that stimulus was needed, the needs of those on the frontline have not been met, according to its leader.

“I continue to receive myriad reports of little or no PPE in your fire departments because of depleted inventories and decimated budgets because of overtime to cover those out sick and quarantined,” Chief Gary Ludwig, IAFC president and chairman of its board, said.

To help make a case for additional federal funding directly to Trump and Congress, the IAFC has created and released a short COVID-19 PPE Readiness & Availability Assessment Survey. That survey collects organizational details of those submitting assessments, the stocks of their departments before Jan. 1, as of and after Feb. 15, along with efforts made to gain supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile.

“It is critical that we arm ourselves with data and present it to our federal government representatives to clearly illustrate our desperate needs,” Ludwig said.

In a letter directed to the president earlier this week, the IAFC specifically asked for $5 billion for the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Programs in support of fire and EMS response to COVID-19. It also requested special funding for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs to bolster that support, along with equipment priority given to emergency responders, notifications of any impending drug shortages and prioritization of vaccination and testing for firefighters and EMS personnel, when such things are developed.

The IAFC hopes to have all responses for the survey by noon on April 20.