The Town of West Hartford has set up collection boxes for PPE as well as cleaning products and trial size toiletries for use by quarantined first responders.

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Submitted by the Town of West Hartford

Today, we are urging every resident to help in the fight against COVID-19.

Like many communities, West Hartford is having difficulty sourcing adequate personal protective equipment for our first responders. We need all residents to search their homes and businesses for personal protective equipment, and to donate items that are in new or unused condition to the town for use by our police, firefighters, and paramedics. 

Specifically, we need N95 face masks, face shields, and Tyvek suits. Some of these items, especially N95 masks, are manufactured for use in construction and other industrial type jobs that expose workers to dust and small particles.  You may have them in your house or business for home improvement projects or cleaning. Anyone involved in the construction trades is especially likely to have products that are useful. 

If you have the ability to sew, would you create masks for us? A pattern recommended by the CDC can be found here.

We are also in need of bleach, hand sanitizer, cleaning rags, towels, heavy duty contractor/lawn bags, and trial-size personal toiletries for quarantined first responders.

We have a critical shortage of these items, and we have been told that it will be two-to-four weeks before we receive this much needed protective gear.

Currently, we have 12 first responders in quarantine as a result of helping residents who are infected with COVID-19. Each time one of our first responders is pulled off the line, it stresses the entire emergency system. Eventually, this could delay response times, and force us to make difficult decisions about how to prioritize emergency calls. Keeping our first responders safe keeps YOU safe.

To make a donation, place your item in a plastic bag and bring it to Public Works, 17 Brixton St.t; Fire Department headquarters, 95 Raymond Rd,; or the Police Department, 103 Raymond Rd. Place the bag in the designated container. Containers will be available Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The road to recovery will be long, and things are going to get worse before they get better. However, we will overcome this unprecedented crisis by working in partnership to help our neighbors, family and friends. We are all in this together, and everyone must be part of the solution.  Thank you to all for your continued good will and generosity.

Items needed: (New or Unused Condition)

• N95 masks
• Face shields
• Tyvek suits
• Bleach
• Hand sanitizer
• Cleaning wipes (Clorox, Lysol)
• Cleaning rags
• Towels
• Heavy duty contractor/lawn bags
• Trial-size personal toiletries for quarantined first responders

Donation Preparation:

• Place your item(s) in a plastic bag.
• Place it in the designated container at one of the locations
• Place bleach outside of container

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