TRSA Tells FEMA – Make Linen, Uniform and Facility Services a Priority After Natural Disasters

Posted August 14, 2020 at 12:36 pm



As the U.S. enters the height of hurricane season, TRSA is encouraging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make the linen, uniform and facility services industry a priority to get operational. This means restoring power and clearing roadways so plants can process and deliver the needed linens and uniforms to healthcare facilities, public utilities and locations housing displaced citizens due to a natural disaster.

The Committee on Homeland Security in the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing examining the national response to the coronavirus pandemic, more specifically focusing on the preparedness of FEMA after a natural disaster, which has been made more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor was the only witness at the hearing.

TRSA worked with U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) to highlight during the hearing the importance of the linen, uniform and facility services industry in recovery efforts after a natural disaster. Bishop’s comments included:

  • The linen, uniform and facility services industry has been designated as a critical infrastructure industry according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security due to its importance in providing hygienically clean and safe personal protective equipment (PPE) to individuals responsible for ensuring public safety in the fields of healthcare workers, public utility workers, law enforcement and fire fighters. The industry is imperative to emergency preparedness, response and recovery.
  • Access to hygienically clean and safe linens and uniforms is imperative to safely restore a community after natural disasters.
  • The coronavirus pandemic exposed gross supply chain vulnerabilities. A reliance on single-use, disposable products resulted in massive shortages, which further demonstrates the importance of reusable textiles in disaster mitigation and response.

Rep. Bishop ultimately asked the administrator:

  • What can FEMA do to designate industrial laundry facilities as essential services after natural disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and during pandemics?
  • How can FEMA intervene to emphasize reusables over disposables in building stockpiles and other emergency preparedness measures to better protect the supply chain during natural disasters?

While there was no immediate answer, the administrator will respond to the committee.

“During all of the shut down orders of the states, TRSA successfully gained recognition of the linen, uniform and facility services industry as an essential or critical infrastructure industry in every state and at the federal level,” said TRSA President & CEO Joseph Ricci. “As the industry is integral to public safety, it is imperative that the industry gets back up and running as soon after a natural disaster that interrupts business. We await Administrator Gaynor’s response.”

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