TEXTILES.ORG
The race to vaccinate millions of people against the COVID-19 pandemic has been problematic in the United States. However, for people living in the New York Tri-State Area, the testing and inoculation process has gotten a little bit easier thanks to Elmsford, N.Y.-based Party Line Tent Rentals. The tent, event and production rental company has been busy distributing and installing tents for COVID-19 testing and drive-through vaccination sites.
In March 2020, Party Line Tent Rentals was contacted by a client who needed tents for a variety of medical uses across the New York Tri-State Area which covers parts of the state of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. “Our tents were predominantly needed for drive-through vaccination and staging areas, vaccination storage and patient check-ins,” says Kenny Puff, president of Party Line Tent Rentals. The client also wanted the tents to serve as warming and dining areas for medical staff members as well as structures to house office, logistics and data management tools.
Puff says that at most locations, Navi-Trac® tents and other frame tents were used with the most popular sizes being 40 by 80 feet and 50 feet wide. Because of the variety of tents required, installation times have varied. “Between the number of tents and the sizes, along with other necessary equipment to be delivered, installation times at sites have ranged from a couple of hours to a couple of days.”
The majority of challenges the company faced were related to Mother Nature. “Weather has been the biggest challenge,” says Puff. “Some of the sites were on the water, so high winds caused damage to a few side tents. Also, our tents are not snow-grade, so recent snowstorms posed a concern.” To ensure the tents were able to withstand snow loads, Party Line Tent Rentals provided tent sites with snow rakes and instructions on how to clean and protect the tents.
To ensure the safety of medical staff members and patients, Puff says his company is in constant contact with the onsite teams at locations to be sure the tents and equipment are functioning properly. “Our teams also make weekly visits to inspect the equipment and make any necessary adjustments to the set up,” he says. “Making sure we remedy the issues on a timely basis is always a challenge, but customer service is at the core of our business and always a top priority for us.”
Party Line Tent Rentals’ tents are currently being utilized at a variety of locations around the New York Tri-State Area including Jones Beach on Long Island, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, as well as Glenn Island and Westchester Medical Center, both based in Westchester, N.Y.
Overall, Puff says that feedback from the client has been very positive and that the sites will be up as long as there is a need for testing and vaccination sites.
Project Notes
Tents: Numerous Navi-Trac® and other frame tents
Sizes: 40 by 80 feet; 50 feet wide
Location: New York Tri-State Area