Seattle (April 17, 2020) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and Fire Chief Harold Scoggins praised the donation of 150,000 sets of life saving personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Seattle region. Thanks to the generosity of Gates Ventures and the Brotman Baty Institute, frontline firefighters throughout Seattle and King County will have the protection they need to continue serving the community in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
“Throughout this pandemic, we have seen the generosity of community, from our next door neighbors to small businesses to educational institutions to companies, Seattle and our regional partners have come together to provide the resources needed to ensure our first responders are protected on the job,” said Mayor Durkan. “As the first region impacted by COVID-19, we inherently understand how incredibly valuable donations like these are for our sisters and brothers on the frontlines of COVID-19 response, and peace of mind these supplies can provide.”
All three fire zones in King County (Zone 1 – North and East King County, Zone 3 – South and West King County and Zone 5 – Seattle) will each receive 50,000 sets of personal protective equipment, or PPE, consisting of masks, gloves and gowns. As the coronavirus (COVID-19) response continues throughout the region, the need for PPE has been critical, and shortages are an ongoing concern.
“We are extremely humbled by how the Seattle and King County community, through its collaboration with private foundations and innovative healthcare researchers, have come together in this time of crisis,” said Harold Scoggins, Seattle Fire Chief. “This donation increases our collective ability to keep our first responders safe.”
“On behalf of the King County Fire Chief’s Association, I would like to extend our appreciation to Gates Ventures and Brotman Baty Institute for their generous donation of much needed personal protective equipment. It is though these types of regional partnerships and strong relationships that our communities throughout King County will overcome the challenges of this pandemic,” said King County Fire Chief’s Association, President Matt Morris. “This gift of essential safety equipment will allow the fire departments of King County continue to stand strong against this virus and provide exceptional care to our citizens. Together we will recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and our communities will remain resilient. Thank you for your continued support of your fire departments.”
“On behalf of Zone 1 Fire Departments, thank you to Gates Ventures and Brotman Baty Institute for your generosity. These donations of gloves, gowns and masks are coming at a critical time, and will help us continue to protect our firefighters and our patients during this pandemic,” Bothell Fire Chief, Bruce Kroon shared.
Enumclaw Fire Chief Randy Fehr stated, “Many Zone 3 Fire Departments are at critically low levels of supplies and had little hope of being resupplied. This donation will enable us to continue our efforts during this pandemic. We sincerely thank Gates Ventures and Brotman Baty Institute for their generous gift.
The Brotman Baty Institute (BBI) focuses on precision medicine and delivery of benefits to patients. A collaboration between UW Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Seattle Children’s, BBI is also the team behind the Seattle Flu Study (SFS). Developed in partnership with and funded by Gates Ventures (the private office of Bill Gates), SFS was designed to create a community-wide network to detect infectious disease outbreaks early and identify new ways to limit their spread. Under the direction of Public Health – Seattle & King County, SFS has now shifted the majority of its resources to form SCAN, the Greater Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network, helping public health officials better understand and respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.