Over the weekend, Governor Tim Walz announced a week-long statewide homemade mask drive to encourage Minnesotans to create homemade masks for donation and highlight the importance of workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Minnesotans can deliver homemade masks to their local fire department. Fire departments will then deliver the masks to local congregate living facilities for their employees and residents to wear.

Following the announcement, Senator Jeff Howe (R-Rockville) and former Rockville Fire Chief issued the following statement regarding the impact of the decision on firefighters across Minnesota:

“While we appreciate Minnesotans coming together to support each other during times crisis Governor Walz’s mask drive has failed to take into consideration the logistics and impact on Minnesota’s fire departments and firefighters for distribution of handmade masks. When developing a plan, it is very important that critical points of contact within the system have input into the plan.  Governor Walz, in the execution of his plan, should have been contacted Minnesota’s fire departments and included them during the early planning stages.  As a result of this poor execution, and lack of consideration, some departments now face a logistical nightmare. In Minnesota, most fire departments are volunteer and not routinely occupied, creating a weak point in the supply chain. Instead of thrusting this burden exclusively on them, I would suggest we review more stable and consistently staffed locations such as a public works facility, and city or town hall.  While we continue to cooperatively address this crisis, we should all remember that coordination is the key, and I am disappointed that the Governor’s administration failed to work with the fire departments before deciding their role.”