CrossFit Fury’s commitment to the community was highlighted earlier this month when we asked for help equipping our Healthcare & Public Service personnel with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Within 24 hours we had a team of experts crafting handmade masks and sourcing various supplies of N95 masks. Over the course of two weeks we have refined the initial design and began importing N95’s directly from manufacturers.
We want to ensure that EVERYONE has access to their own PPE so we are sharing our final design so that you can help in your networks. Face-masks are a proven technology that has been used for centuries to ‘flatten the curve’.
Family Portrait Circa 1919
The current recommendations that ‘healthy people should not use face masks’ is ABSOLUTELY INCORRECT, especially considering the prevalence of asymptomatic carriers. These inaccuracies and countless others throughout the pandemic highlight a general abandonment of scientific proactive efforts from the top of our public health systems.
We want everyone to secure a set of masks for every person in your household by the start of April. Here is the initial design we used to get feedback from our providers.
DIY Cloth Face Mask
DIY Cloth Face Mask: Mask 1 is fitted, with 2 layers of fabric and a pocket between them for an optional filter (see research links for info on filters). It is held on by elastic ear loops. Elastic can also be threaded to fit around the head.
Research shows 100% cotton of having some effectiveness. Cotton/polyester blends may have additional properties of repelling water, making them better barriers to keep droplets from soaking through outer layers.
The primary alterations we utilized based on feedback are:
- 48″ tied straps vs elastic to create a tighter seal around the face. This was in anticipation for a ‘high risk’ environment but for public protection we are primarily keeping our germs to ourselves so elastic straps are sufficient.
- The design provides alterations for including a filter insert which should be considered as well as antimicrobial or Hepa cloth which can be found at hardware stores.
- Finally, it is suggested to include a copper or brass mesh over the bridge of the nose to keep the shape. Copper is preferred over the ‘pipe cleaner’ from the instructions as it is naturally antimicrobial.