Local volunteer fire department helps make face shields for first responders

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An area fire department stepped up to help first responders better protect themselves when responding to a call.

The Central Oktibbeha Volunteer Fire Department spent Friday morning making hundreds of face shields for all firefighters and EMTs in the county.

The shields will be used to cover their faces when they are out working a scene.

Responders said this is their way of being proactive and keeping everyone safe during this global pandemic.

“This helps protect us from getting droplets in our faces, also for the ambulance, it can help protect them and the paramedics as they are trying to help patients get better,” said Captain Laurie Grace, with the Central Oktibbeha Volunteer Fire Department. “I just realized we had a need for those, a lot of people are making face masks, these clear face shields are in very short supply.”

The face shields have been delivered to all volunteer fire departments in Oktibbeha County.

Additional masks will be sent to OCH. The hospital helped pay for roughly 75% of the supplies used to make the face shields.