DAYTON – Premier Health has acquired and implemented aviation specific masks for CareFlight Air and Mobile Services.

The P100 Tiger Performance Masks are utilized industry wide for air medical transport. CareFlight Air and Mobile is the first in the Dayton region to implement them program-wide.

The high-quality, aviation specific, reusable P100 respirator masks protect up to 99.97% of airborne particles. The masks are fitted for each crew member and are comfortable to wear for extended periods of time during transport in the aircraft and in the mobile intensive care unit, CareFlight’s ground transportation.

“The new masks demonstrate our commitment to the safety of our crew members and our patients,” said Beth Calcidise, director of CareFlight Air and Mobile Services. “And because the masks are reusable, we’re eliminating waste. We no longer need to utilize the hospital supply of N95 or N100 masks.”

The Tiger mask is made of pliable silicone, which conforms to the user’s face and secures in such a way that eliminates the potential for inadvertent loss of the mask seal when worn with the aircraft helmet. The masks also are compatible with CareFlight’s night vision goggles that are required at night during aircraft operations.

An embedded microphone inside the mask allows crew members to plug the mask into the aircraft communication system. This allows for seamless, non-muffled communication to air traffic control, CareFlight Communication Center, as well as to each other on board the aircraft. Voice amplifiers allow the crew to wear the mask from bedside to bedside without compromising handoff communication.

During ground transport, the driver’s cab and patient compartment are sealed from one another to help isolate and thus decrease the exposure potential of the MICU driver when transporting a COVID-19 patient. The masks plug into the MICU’s communication system, which allows the medical crew treating the patient in the back of the MICU to communicate with the driver through the sealed partition. This allows for enhanced driver and medical personnel communication, which results in an increase of crew safety.

The masks were purchased out of Premier Health’s COVID disaster fund.