City Manager Announces City Police, Fire to Wear Protective Masks

City Manager Wilma Quan announced today that, effective immediately, the City of Fresno will be providing protective face masks to as many police officers and firefighters as possible and requiring them to wear them while they are at work.  These will primarily be surgical and cloth masks. 

“Our community needs every police officer and firefighter healthy and ready to work,” City Manager Quan said.  “The nature of their jobs limits their ability to practice social distancing and protect themselves properly, so requiring that they wear masks is a necessary measure to keep them healthy.  All of these positions require very specialized training and it would take 3 to 12 months to find replacements for these brave men and women.  We need to keep our first responders safe and healthy so they can continue to protect and serve our community.”

The City has a limited supply of various kinds of protectives masks and has many more on order.  As the City receives additional masks, more employees will be required to wear masks while working.  The decisions as to which employees will be required to wear masks will be based on the how their job duties limit their ability to practice social distancing.  If enough masks become available, all City employees may be required to wear masks while at work.  Employees who have their own masks are encouraged to wear them to work.

Due to the nationwide shortage of protective masks, if any resident with access to sewing equipment is interested in making and donating cloth masks to help keep our City employees healthy, please deliver them to the security staff at the front door of Fresno City Hall, 2600 Fresno Street, during normal business hours, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

For questions or more information on mask donations, please email [email protected] or call the City’s non-emergency hot line at 3-1-1.

Residents are encouraged to visit our City’s website at www.fresno.gov/coronavirus/ for all COVID-19-related updates and information or call 3-1-1. Visit www.cdc.gov to learn more about COVID-19 and follow the Fresno County Department of Public Health for regular updates.