When Lt. Tim Quinn learned from his sister Tina that Bronson Healthcare needed to modify thousands of their medical gowns at a manufacturer in the Upper Peninsula, he volunteered to fly the PPE there.
He said the gowns had a design flaw that needed to be retro-fitted in order for the frontline workers at Bronson, like his sister, to fight the coronavirus successfully.
So, Tim and a few other pilots stuffed their small planes with ‘bags and bags of gowns,’ he said.
“It was a whole cargo van full of gowns. We estimated about 750 pounds,” said Tim, a first responder with South Haven Area Emergency Services. “We had to call a third aircraft to help us out because we weren’t able to carry the content, the load and the volume.”
In April, they flew from Battle Creek to Ironwood, the company repairing the gowns in the U.P. They dropped them off and a half hour later they left with 450 pounds of gowns ready for the frontline workers to wear.
“We are incredibly grateful,” Tina said. “Right now when [personal protective equipment] is extremely needed, we’re incredibly grateful for Tim and his pilots.”
Tim said they was were glad to help. They flight only took them 2.5 hours. If they had driven, it would’ve been at least eight hours.
And, he said he’s willing to do it again.
“We’re more than willing to help out,” Tim said. “This is another extension of what we do, just to help out.”
