2020 has been a whirlwind of a year, but we’ve been grateful to bring safety and peace of mind to customers all over the world with our OCTO® Respirator Mask (ORM).

The holidays are over, but whether you’ve finished your shopping or not, ORM is a lifesaving gift that’s never too late to invest in. Whether you want to purchase ORM for yourself, or send it to someone as a holiday present or a “just because” gift, ORM is one of the most important necessities a person could receive right now. 

Don’t just take it from us – listen to the folks who included us in their holiday gift guides this year!

When we launched our original OCTO® Respirator Mask (ORM) earlier this year, we knew there was a significant need – but we wondered if there would be an equal demand. After all, masks are everywhere right now. But a respirator that offers full protection and surpasses N95 standards? That’s hard to find.  

Upon releasing ORM in August 2020, we quickly gained attention from national media and sold out of every ORM unit we had in stock. Luckily, we continuously improve ORM based on new science and customer feedback. Our next unit – ORM Version 1.5 – was already in the works.

Now, in the height of the coronavirus pandemic, when adequate protection can quite literally mean life and death, we’re ready to bring ORM Version 1.5 to people all over the world.

While COVID-19 causes continued distress worldwide, the silver lining of this pandemic is that safety has become a priority matter for virtually everyone. In many ways, we’re taking inventory of the resources we have so we can better prepare ourselves for future emergency situations.

Whether for the pandemic, wildfires, earthquakes or any other public safety concerns we face, it’s vital that everyone takes precaution whenever possible. One of the best preventative measures is to stock an emergency “go-bag” in the event it’s needed in the future.

Go-bags are not a new idea, but they’re becoming increasingly important. If you aren’t sure what to stock in yours, here’s our recommended list.

Clean Air Day is just around the corner on OCTOber 8. This day was started in the U.K., but it’s being commemorated in different ways around the globe now. In California for example, Oct. 7 has become the local Clean Air Day. Regardless of where you live, Clean Air Day is more than a one-day observation; It’s a call to action for long-term health and wellness.

As we publish this blog, fires are raging. The Western United States is breaking out with wildfires in numerous states. California alone has already burned through millions of acres …

Before COVID-19, not many people knew what an N95 mask even was. Now it’s a household name. What most people still don’t know is that the N95 mask has remained virtually unchanged since the early 1970s. In the time since, there have been quite a few epidemics including SARS, MERS, and H1N1.

During the SARS outbreak in 2003, it was revealed that 43% of the casualties were healthcare workers, many of whom removed their Surgical N95 masks and risked exposure because the masks were too uncomfortable and impractical for use during long, grueling shifts. Other industries where the use of N95 masks is common told the same story of discomfort. If professionals can’t bear wearing N95 masks, then it should be apparent that an upgrade is needed.

After the SARS experience, the federal government launched Project B.R.E.A.T.H.E., to assess how to improve N95 masks in order to provide better protection for frontline workers. This group of experts from across a number of specialties recommended 28 changes needed for respirator masks to be truly effective. The report, published in 2009, was a call-to-action … that was widely ignored by manufacturers.