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With COVID-19 claiming the lives of more than 100 first responders, several fire service organizations are urging health officials to give firefighters and EMS workers top priority for an eventual vaccine.
"We are vital parts of the national public health system and should be treated at the same priority as other frontline healthcare workers and hospital staff," stated a joint press release from the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Association of State Fire Marshals, and the National Volunteer Fire Council.
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Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advisers voted Tuesday to recommend including health care workers and long-term care facility residents in the 1a priority group for a COVID-19 vaccine. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation announced Tuesday that 104 first responders have died from the virus this year.
"The nation’s firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics serve as the first link in the COVID-19 response," the fire service groups stated. "These environments are unstructured, unprotected, and place public safety personnel in close quarters with COVID-19 patients, causing increased exposure for the responder. Many COVID- 19 patients are treated by a firefighter, EMT, or paramedic before they are transported to a medical facility for further care."
The organizations also emphasized that first responders often go out on calls "unrelated to whether a caller has COVID-19 only to later learn that the individual exposed them to the virus."
"A COVID-19 vaccine is one of the best ways to protect fire and EMS personnel from this pandemic," the groups stated. "Along with ensuring that the proper PPE is available, priority access to a vaccine allows emergency responders to have another tool to protect themselves and the community as a whole."
Last month, the IAFF had made a similar plea for vaccinating first responders to governors and state health officials.
