Police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel are continuing to face shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, many organizations and individuals are coming together to rapidly develop innovative solutions to address the shortage of PPE. These partnerships include Federal, state and local government agencies; the network of National Laboratories; academia; the innovation community; industry; the public; and others.
To assist in the rapid development of innovative PPE designs and subsequent production and manufacturing, we are providing links to authoritative sources of information to help increase the flow of this vital equipment to those on the front lines. These resources include links to information on existing public-private partnerships, open-source designs and data, 3-D printing and materials instructions, guidelines and other information.
Disclaimer
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate is sharing information about these resources to help to stimulate design and development of urgently needed PPE. DHS has not conducted test and evaluation on the PPE identified in these resources and is not attesting to the quality, safety and performance of PPE information that is presented nor does DHS endorse the PPE identified in the links below. The FDA, CDC and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are suggested resources to find additional information on health and safety issues and standards, testing and performance requirements regarding PPE.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is taking the lead on increasing the availability of personal protective equipment as part of a whole of nation approach.
Advanced Manufacturing Technology/3-D Printing
- FDA Efforts to Connect Manufacturers and Health Care Entities: The FDA, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health, and America Makes Form a COVID-19 response Public-Private Partnership
- COVID-19 Supply Chain Response - NIH 3-D Print Exchange
- VHA Innovation Ecosystem - 3D Printing Network COVID-19 Response [Link no longer valid, https://www.va.gov/INNOVATIONECOSYSTEM/views/solutions/3d-print-covid19.html]
- JPL COVID-19-respirators
- GrabCAD Community Library
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)/Decontamination
- Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System™(CCDS)
- Guidance Resources [Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators] [Link no longer valid, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/decontamination-reuse-respirators.html]
- Sharing Decontamination Best Practices by S&Ts COVID-19 Response Team
Resources
- COVID-19 and HIPAA: Disclosures to law enforcement, paramedics, other first responders and public health authorities (PDF, 4pgs, 184KB)
- COVID-19-Related Guidance Documents for Industry, FDA Staff, and Other Stakeholders [Link no longer valid, https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-related-guidance-documents-industry-fda-staff-and-other-stakeholders]
- Disinfection and Reuse of Personal Protective Equipment (PDF, 16pgs, 150KB)
- DLA R&D developing rapid disinfection systems for personal protective equipment
- FDA Reissues Emergency Use Authorizations Revising Which Types of Respirators Can Be Decontaminated for Reuse Looks Good
- FEMA makes additional $100 million available to fire/EMS for COVID-19 Response (PDF, 3pgs, 92KB)
- FEMA COVID-19 Fact Sheets
- Federal Emergency Management Agencies State-by-State Personal Protective Equipment Data
- Flexible Nanoporous Template for the Design and Development of Reusable Anti-COVID-19 Hydrophobic Face Masks
- Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorizations (EUA) for Personal Protective Equipment and Other Devices
- Information for Exporters with a Surplus of Medical Supplies and Equipment | FEMA.gov
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health COVID-19 and Personal Protective Equipment Resources
- NIST Lab Shows How Face Coverings Can Slow the Spread of Disease
- NIEHS COVID-19 Worker Training Program (WTP)
- Respirators for Healthcare during COVID-19: Authorized Use & Avoiding Fraudulent Products (PDF, 5pgs, 120KB)
- Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE and Equipment [Link no longer valid, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/index.html]
- Strategies for Optimizing Supply of N95 [Link no longer valid, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/respirators-strategy/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fhcp%2Frespirator-supply-strategies.html]
- Study Indicates That Humidity in Breath Makes Cotton Masks More Effective at Slowing the Spread of COVID-19 | NIST
- Testing Strategy for Coronavirus (COVID-19) in High-Density Critical Infrastructure Workplaces after a COVID-19 Case Is Identified [Link no longer valid, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/worker-safety-support/hd-testing.html]
- The National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory Respirator Assessments to Support the COVID-19 Response
- Understanding the Difference between N95 and Surgical Masks Looks Good