The F.A.S.T. Isolation Gown Journey

F.A.S.T. is now manufacturing Level 3 disposable isolation gowns.  A year ago, or even 6 months ago, we didn't even know what an isolation gown was and certainly wouldn't have thought we'd be manufacturing 45,000 to 50,000 of them A WEEK!  It's been quite the journey.

It started in April with one of F.A.S.T.'s B.C. essential service customers asking us to manufacture isolation gowns because of the extreme shortage experienced due to the start of the pandemic.  We embarked on a steep learning curve and learned a lot about isolation gowns in a very short period of time.  Soon we sourced a local manufacturer of degradable plastic, made up prototypes and sent out gowns for 3rd party testing.  We learned that the Medical Device Establishment License (MDEL) that we maintained to manufacture first aid kits also included the manufacture of isolation gowns as a Class 1 medical device.

Production started on June 4.  We made 1600 the first day and within a week we had geared up to 8,000 a day.  Within the first month of production we hired over 40 people and everyone had to work within strict COVID protocols to stay safe.

Today we received a photo of a UBC medical student (training at Langley Memorial Hospital) wearing a F.A.S.T. Isolation Gown.  His mother works at F.A.S.T. and has been manufacturing these gowns since June!

And so the story continues...........