Another COVID Death Hits MO Fire Department

Nov. 22—A third member of the Kansas City Fire Department has died from the coronavirus. It is the second death from the virus within the department this weekend.

Scott Davidson, 45, a communications specialist and paramedic, died Sunday morning from COVID-19, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 42 posted on Facebook Sunday morning.

"Scott was a dedicated member of the Communications Division of the Kansas City Fire Department," the post read.

Davidson, who had been with KCFD for 18 years, also served as a paramedic, including with the Metropolitan Ambulance Services Trust, according to the department.

"Scott was a calming voice that answered the call and ensured help was coming when our residents called the fire department for assistance," according to a news release from the fire department announcing Davidson's death.

The department reiterated that first responders are on the front lines of the pandemic which poses "significant danger."

A day earlier, Captain Robert "Bobby" Rocha also died after contracting the virus while on the job.

In March, Kansas City Fire Department EMT Billy Birmingham was the first person in the city to die in what Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas called the "line of duty" in the coronavirus outbreak.

Since the pandemic began, 176 members of the Kansas City Fire Department have tested positive for COVID-19, said Jason Spreitzer, a spokesman with the fire department. As of Saturday, 73 were still infected.

"... The now three deaths of KCFD members from this virus reminds us that this virus has reached all divisions of the Fire Service," the firefighters union posted. "We must continue to be vigilant in our protections of all our members and recognize the sacrifice and service they have provided to the community of Kansas City Missouri."

Spreitzer said that since the beginning of the pandemic, any members of the department who test positive for COVID-19 are considered to have contracted it on the job. The city pays for their treatment and the employees don't have to use personal time to take off work, he added.

Kansas City Fire Chief Donna Lake announced a mask mandate for all members of the department on Oct. 16 after noticing another spike in cases, Spreitzer said. Firefighters and EMTs had already been required to wear masks when coming in contact with patients.

On Monday, Mayor Quinton Lucas announced that all Kansas City police officers, first responders and other essential workers will be required to wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as part of new public health guidance.

The new order went into place Friday. Previous emergency orders exempted first responders from being required to wear masks.

Acting City Manager Earnest Rouse in a tweet Saturday urged the Kansas City community to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

As of Saturday, more than 73,900 people in the Kansas City metro have contracted the coronavirus as the area continues to see record-breaking numbers of new cases. So far, 949 people have died of the illness.

" Scott Davidson was a wonderful man who served so well the (fire department) and the community he loved," Lucas tweeted Sunday. "My heart goes out to his family, friends, KCFD, and all who knew him. I hope all will do everything they can to keep others from having to deal with this terrible disease."

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