Ruger has made its people and the communities in which it operates a top priority during the tragic COVID-19 pandemic. The company has undertaken a number of measures and placed significant efforts behind manufacturing resources to help the country at large.
“As COVID-19 has driven us into extraordinary times, we knew we must step up to help our employees, their families and our broader local communities,” said Ruger President and CEO, Chris Killoy. “Our Company values of integrity, respect, innovation and teamwork are more important than ever, and are surely guiding us through these times as we work together on doing what is best for everyone.”
As local food pantries in some communities have closed or are facing critical shortages, Ruger has set up its own for employees and is actively supporting other local food sources to help employees and families in need. The company’s employees have donated food, hard-to-get items and cash totaling more than $11,000 toward the effort. Additionally, Ruger has provided two additional weeks of paid time off for hourly employees, as well as other accommodations for employees who are directly or indirectly impacted by this pandemic.
“Supporting our employees is the primary goal of our task force,” stated Sarah Colbert, vice president of administration and chair of the Ruger Coronavirus Task Force. “Our focus is to keep our people safe and healthy; help take care of our Ruger families and local communities where we live and work; and keep us safely working for as long as we can.”
Keeping employee safety in mind, Ruger has reconfigured all locations to accommodate Federal social-distancing guidelines at entranceways, on the factory floor and in common areas. The company has limited all non-essential access to its facilities, has embraced remote work wherever possible, and has professionally disinfected all manufacturing equipment and facilities utilizing a contracted service.
In an effort to support local communities, Ruger has donated resources to hospitals, nursing homes, police, fire and first responder departments. The critical gear it has provides includes 6,500 surgical masks, nearly 5,000 safety glasses, 700 Tyvek suits, 200 shoe coverings and
more than 200 N95 masks.
Ruger also donated $6,000 in cash to local food charities and made its facilities and resources available to truck drivers and delivery personnel. Additionally, Ruger has redeployed some of its manufacturing resources and pivoted production to assist with the shortage of certain medical supplies. Specifically, Ruger has built and delivered 1,600 face shields to local hospitals and first responders, including the City of Claremont Fire Department and the Newport Police Department.
“Ruger was generous enough to answer our need for protective face shields, and we have already put a number of these into service,” said the City of Claremont Fire Chief, Bryan Burr. “Thanks to Ruger, our department is able to protect our first line medical responders out in the field.”
Newport Police Chief, Brent Wilmot added, “We are so thankful to have received these new face shields from Ruger. It is allowing us to stay in the fight longer and provide critical law enforcement services in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Additionally, Ruger is designing and assisting with the rapid development of a replaceable filter cartridge system for 3M N95 respirators and has allocated a team of engineers to assist with work on the MIT Emergency Ventilator (E-Vent) Project, which is focused on safely automating a manual resuscitator as a potential means for longer-term ventilation.
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