R.K. Mellon Foundation funds PPE grants for front-line workers in Allegheny, Westmoreland

A Delmont councilman is continuing the work of the borough’s former fire chief, securing grant funding to supply all Westmoreland County firefighters with face-shield filters to protect against coronavirus.

Delmont Fire Chief Rich Balik, who died in late May, was working with the R.K. Mellon Foundation to secure a $10,000 grant that would supply a filter that fits onto face shields, which the foundation already funded through an earlier $200,000 grant to Boston-based MasksOn.org, a nonprofit that began converting snorkeling masks into face shields.

Rather than hooking up their full breathing apparatus, firefighters can wear the face shields and filters when they respond to assist EMS workers.

“Rich was looking to get some type of protective masks for firefighters in Westmoreland, because (personal protective equipment) was a big concern,” said county Hazmat Chief Chris Tantlinger. “The R.K. Mellon Foundation reached out to us at the Department of Public Safety because we’d been engaged in resourcing PPE for everybody.”

After Balik’s death, Tantlinger turned to Delmont Councilman Dave Weber, who serves as the borough’s emergency management coordinator.

“We needed some way to have a nonprofit apply for the grant,” Tantlinger said.

Weber was happy to help.

“I think they want to act on it fairly quickly,” Weber said. “It’s not something where we have to jump through a lot of hoops, and we’re not competing with someone else for the funds.”

The foundation also supplied PPE funding to emergency responders in Allegheny County.

“These face shields that are reusable are a great product,” Tantlinger said. Foundation Director Sam Reiman said his staff learned about MasksOn.org through their national technology work.

“We were impressed with the creativity of their PPE design and the rigor of their testing,” Reiman said. “And we wanted to ensure Southwestern Pennsylvania front-line health care workers and first responders could benefit from these lifesaving masks – particularly in the areas that need them most.”

Using statistics for the number of EMS-assist calls, Tantlinger “came up with a number that we’d need in order to provide enough of those filters.”

“The outcome is to keep firefighters safe,” Weber said.

The grants are part of the foundation’s $15 million covid-19 response package.

For more about the mask kits, see MasksOn.org.