Former Gov. Greitens donates faulty batch of N95 masks to Missouri fire department
One-hundred-fifty N95 masks that former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens donated to the Columbia Fire Department Monday turned out to be faulty, according to a fire official.
The masks, which Assistant Chief Brad Frazier said failed the department’s fit test, are now being used as if they were surgical masks.
“Of course it’s disappointing when you find that they’re not fit testing properly, but again, our supply as of right now is good,” said Frazier, who said the department does anticipate needing more in the future.
Greitens also dropped off 1,000 surgical masks, which aren’t meant to be worn around individuals with suspected or confirmed cases of the new coronavirus.
The masks from Greitens, part of an effort by the not-for-profit VirusRelief, were folded the same way as a failed batch of 45 KN95 masks the department received from the State Emergency Management Agency weeks earlier, Frazier said.
“Because of the crease that was created, they wouldn’t fit test properly,” he said.
Earlier this month, Missouri’s public safety director recalled the agency’s shipments of 48,000 KN95 masks, distributed to first responders around the state between April 2 and April 8. Kansas City’s police and fire departments were among the biggest recipients of those masks in western Missouri.
A Department of Public Safety spokesperson on Tuesday said the agency did not distribute masks through Greitens. The spokesperson was unaware of Greitens’ deliveries until they saw them on social media.
Frazier said the masks from SEMA were unsolicited, and the masks from Greitens were unexpected as well. He said the mask failure was communicated to VirusRelief, though he was not directly involved in the conversation and isn’t aware of their response.
Greitens on Monday retweeted photos of himself delivering large boxes of masks to the Columbia Fire Department.
He’s also tweeted lists of state sheriff, fire and police departments he donated masks to. The list included more than two dozen Missouri agencies, along with a batch of one million masks delivered to New York City.
On VirusRelief’s webpage, Greitens is listed as a team member alongside Max Baucus, former U.S. ambassador to China, Betty Liu, Executive Vice Chairman for New York Stock Exchange Group and X. Rick Niu, President and CEO of Starr Strategic Holdings.
The website has a page for frequently asked questions, which includes the prompted inquiry, “How can I ensure that I am buying quality products?”
The page shows a statement from VirusRelief: “It is important that every dollar be spent as wisely and efficiently as possible, and below we share some information about what to know, questions to ask, and mistakes to avoid.”
Where Greitens procured these masks amid a national shortage is not clear.
VirusRelief representatives did not immediately respond to The Star’s request for comment Tuesday afternoon. Neither did a staff member of Greitens’.
In late March, Greitens delivered 500 masks to the Kansas City Police Department.
The 500 masks were paid for by the St. Louis Fire Department Foundation after Greitens contacted donors and connected with a supplier, a Greitens staff member said at the time. Greitens For Missouri, the former governor’s campaign committee, had no role in the purchase.
When contacted Tuesday, Kansas City police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said in an email that the department does not “conduct any kind of official ‘fit testing’ per se’,” but has published guides on how to wear the masks.
Becchina said he doesn’t have reason to believe the masks donated by Greitens were faulty.
Greitens’ Kansas City delivery in late March came the day after he received television coverage for a similar delivery to the St. Louis Fire Department, making for one of his highest-profile appearances since stepping down as governor in 2018 in the face of multiple scandals.
Laura Keller, executive director of the St. Louis Fire Department Foundation, told The Star last month that the foundation spent roughly $81,000 to purchase 12,000 masks at $6.80 a piece.
The bulk of the masks stayed in the St. Louis area — split between the fire and police departments — while the rest were distributed around the state.
Greitens obtained an additional 3,000 masks on top of the initial order of 12,000, which were distributed around the state, his staff said in March.
“In this hard time, it’s good to remember how strong we can be together,” Greitens said on Twitter following his first deliveries in March.
“Last weekend I started getting calls from firefighters, police officers and first responders around the state. For weeks, the masks they were promised hadn’t come. We got to work.”
Greitens, a Republican from St. Louis, stepped down as governor after facing multiple criminal cases and a Missouri legislative investigation.
The felony indictments against Greitens for invasion of privacy and computer tampering were ultimately dropped. But Missouri lawmakers found credible allegations of violent sexual misconduct on Greitens’ part and had begun the impeachment process before Greitens announced his resignation in May of 2018.
The Star’s Bryan Lowry contributed.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 5:27 PM.
