BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's an acronym you hear a lot these days. PPE — personal protective equipment — is in high demand and in short supply in Western New York and all across the country.
Face masks, shields, gloves, and protective gowns are just some of the important items that are very much needed by doctors, nurses, and law enforcement.
When a local company heard the Erie County Sheriff's Office ask for donations of N95 masks and other PPE, it answered the call with hundreds of pieces of thin plastic, similar to what you might find on ski goggles.
The plastic may have been destined for the recycle bin, but the company, which didn't want any recognition, decided to give the plastic pieces to the sheriff's office so they could make face shields for deputies.
Other companies donated elastic, foam and glue guns to make protective shields. Sheriff's office employees and their family members pitched in to create hundreds.
"Instead of waiting for some, we took the opportunity to improvise, adapt and overcome our situation, and we created these face masks," said Scott Zylka, public information officer for the department. "It's a great story. Here we have employees putting them together, family members who have volunteered. That's just a Western New York story, how everyone is coming together."
The Sheriff's Office said the face shields are being distributed to deputies both in the jails and on road patrol.
If there are extras, the department plans to share them with other first responders in the area.
Local businesses have also donated N95 masks, disinfectant, gloves and even food to the sheriff's office.