Small package fills big need for Town of Black Mountain

Local resident delivers 100 respirator masks to help replenish supply

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Cheryl Milton delivers a box of 100 KN95 respirator masks to Town of Black Mountain officials in the public safety building, March 30. Fred McCormick

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo

When Cheryl Milton stepped inside the Black Mountain Public Safety building, March 30, she was carrying a small pink box, neatly wrapped with a matching bow. 

To the casual observer, the quaint package might have given the appearance of a small token of appreciation for the firefighters and police officers who work in the adjoining departments, but the contents were actually valuable tools for local first responders on the frontlines of a global health crisis.

As COVID-19 cases in Buncombe County are expected to increase in the coming weeks, and personal protective equipment (PPE) continues to be in high demand, Milton secured 100 KN95 respirator masks and delivered them into the hands of Black Mountain town officials. 

“As the mayor, I want to say that the Town of Black Mountain is extremely appreciative of Cheryl Milton,” said Don Collins, who was presented the parcel, along with town manager Josh Harrold, police chief Shawn Freeman and deputy fire chief John Wilson. “This is something that we need right now.”

PPE for medical staff, law enforcement and other public safety personnel has been both extremely valuable and in short supply since the contagion began spreading throughout the U.S. KN95 masks, which filter at least 95% of particulates in the air through a respirator, have been among the most challenging PPE to secure. 

KN95 masks are the Chinese equivalent of the American-made N95 masks and the European-made FFP2 respirators. The products filter non-oil-based particles, including bioaerosols that spread COVID-19.  

Milton operates a small heirloom clothing line and became familiar with a company in China that manufactures the masks, she said. Milton learned, through a mutual associate, that the manufacturer had recently donated 3,000 surgical masks to a hospital in Alabama. 

“I reached out because I knew the Town of Black Mountain needed these supplies,” she said. “They set aside this order of 100 masks for the town.”

Milton acquired the respirator masks for $4 each, she said, and the town will reimburse her for the expense. 

“She also donated 100 surgical masks, to be used over these,” Milton said of the manufacturer. “Those can be thrown away after each individual use.”

Surgical masks can be placed over the respirator mask, allowing for reuse after proper sterilization. Departments have focused on equipping staff who work in the community, according to Freeman. The package delivered by Milton will help the police department replenish its supply. 

The police department was in direct contact with “three potential” cases last weekend, according to Freeman, while the fire department has responded consistently to calls where symptoms of the virus were displayed. First responders have protocol in place when answering a call where an individual is displaying symptoms of COVID-19. 

“The 911 center does an initial screening process and we conduct our own when we arrive, before we enter the house,” said Wilson. Each individual is tested to ensure the respirator mask fits properly before one is issued. Responders on the scene put on the equipment prior to entering a residence if the screening indicates the virus could be present. 

Compliance with the Buncombe County “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order, which went into effect March 26 and remains in place until at least 6 a.m., Thursday, April 9, will be crucial in the effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Black Mountain, according to town officials.  

Responding to a global health crisis has left the town with a limited supply of PPE, such as respirators and gowns, according to Freeman. 

“The tactics we took were good, but because they were so aggressive, we outpaced what we had on hand for supplies,” he said. “But, there was no other way to do it; it had to be done that way.”

The town is working with the county’s Emergency Operation Center to acquire additional supplies when needed, according to Harrold. 

“When we need equipment, we relay that through them,” he said. “We will need more equipment, at some point, as we keep dealing with this.”

The fluid nature of the outbreak has required agencies to evolve in an attempt to lower the risk of transmission. 

“Really, it’s changing how we do business,” Freeman said. “For fire services, law enforcement, all of us, it’s ever-changing. We’re learning new stuff constantly, and you have to be prepared for new guidance that might come with new information.”

While communicable diseases, like tuberculosis and even H1N1, are not new to local departments, the COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting impact on how municipalities like Black Mountain prepare for similar situations in the future. 

“This is going to change everything we do, as a town, forever,” Harrold said. “Everything will need to be reviewed, because now we know that it has to be.”