Emergency response warehouse completes mission, closes doors

Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA)

May 26--Stafford County's temporary warehouse, which was used to gather, stage and distribute essential supplies to first responders and health care professionals during the coronavirus pandemic, has closed its doors.

Located within the Stafford Fire Training and Logistics Center on Courthouse Road, the facility opened March 23 as part of the Stafford County Emergency Operations Center. That center was activated on March 11 to coordinate the county's response to the pandemic.

"It actually exceeded all of our expectations, we didn't know what the response would be when we first set up and began collecting," said Katie Carpenter, Stafford's emergency management planner. "We were blown away by the community response. They responded overwhelmingly."

When the warehouse was initially established, members of Stafford County Fire and Rescue, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works departments worked alongside volunteers from Team Rubicon and Stafford's Community Emergency Response Team to collect donations of personal protective equipment and essential items from community members and businesses. Stafford's procurement office also secured additional supplies for distribution.

"It was physically set up so we could keep operations going, while keeping our first responders and health care providers safe," said Carpenter.

During its entire operational period, the facility processed 110 requests for supplies and received more than 40 shipments of goods through donations. In addition to personal protective gear, the facility took in shelf-stable meals, cleaning supplies, thermometers, soap and toilet paper, elastic and thread, unused plastic sheeting, duct tape, surgical gowns, paper towels, and hand and surface disinfectants.

"It worked far better than we even hoped it would," said Carpenter. "We were really happy with the way everything worked out."

In its heyday, Carpenter said the warehouse was staffed with over 100 county employees and more than 20 volunteers.

Carpenter said the outpouring of support from the community in providing essential items during the pandemic was immeasurable.

Some of the bigger donors included Spotsylvania County's A. Smith Bowman Distillery, which donated more than 800 bottles of hand sanitizer and disinfectant at no cost, and regional church groups and private citizens who contributed more than 5,000 hand-sewn face masks.

As preparations began for Virginia's Phase I reopening on May 15, county officials began pushing out inventory from the warehouse to county facilities in need of supplies to open their doors.

"We were now thinking what we needed to do to get public buildings running to be open for the public and be a safe operation," said Carpenter.

That redistribution of essential supplies from the warehouse marked the imminent closure of the facility.

Today, Carpenter said she finds it easier to obtain personal protective equipment through distributors, and the once logjammed supply channels are now reopening.

"That's a first indicator that things are a little stronger and we're no longer in an emergency or panic mode," said Carpenter. "We are able to fulfill orders again."

Carpenter also said the county procurement office has been more successful in reestablishing once hard-to-get supply contracts to make purchases.

"We knew we had the stability in the supply chain to keep us sustained, that's when we knew we could close the facility," said Carpenter.

Carpenter said there were many lessons taken from the pandemic situation, including closely monitoring the stock of essential items on hand and examining the frequency in which orders are made.

With her eyes on the upcoming hurricane season--which begins June 1--Carpenter said instead of relying on a single item to fulfill a requirement, she is now looking at items that are useful in a wider variety of emergency situations.

"We're working on having a greater availability of those things," said Carpenter. "The initial blow of shortages and panic and fear has settled down a little bit, and everyone has more confidence to move forward."

Although fully active as recently as two weeks ago, the county's Emergency Operations Center, which worked hand-in-hand with the warehouse, has itself reduced its staff size and is now operating under what Carpenter calls, a "virtual activation."

Carpenter said services are still being provided through the center, and requests are still being processed, but a reduced number of staff is sufficient to handle those requests.

"We're trying to get everyone back to normal operations." said Carpenter. "[We will] continue to work closely with our partners at the Virginia Department of Health to monitor the situation, and work to support county departments and community partners as needs arise."

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