These NC firefighters were able to get the COVID vaccine first. Most didn’t.
Fewer than half of the eligible firefighters across Wake County’s 20 fire departments have signed up for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Firefighters who are also emergency medical technicians and provide care as part of the Emergency Medical Services and health care systems were among the first people allowed to get the vaccine in North Carolina.
But only 645 out of 1,670 eligible members in Wake County have chosen to be vaccinated, according to Wake County data provided to The News & Observer.
“Those numbers were much lower when we first started surveying (firefighters),” said Darrell Alford, director of fire services and emergency management for Wake County. “I think the numbers are probably in line with what you’ll see across the United States on the first go, to be honest with you. There’s just some angst about getting the vaccine that was approved under emergency use authorization.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for two COVID-19 vaccines — developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — which have been shown to be at least 94% effective against the coronavirus.
The FDA requires all products, including the two vaccines, with an emergency authorization be proven safe during clinical trials.
Alford expects the number of firefighters who get the vaccine will increase.
7 in 10 EMS workers vaccinated
About 70% of Wake County’s 491 eligible EMS employees have gotten the vaccine, said Jeffrey Hammerstein, assistant chief of EMS. That jumped up from about 49% of EMS employees when first surveyed.
Wake County created a series of videos on vaccine myths and reviewed how the vaccines were created to help educate staff members.
“Offering our staff the science of it I think was really effective in allaying some of those concerns people across the nation have had about the vaccine,” Hammerstein said.
The vaccine is not mandatory for Wake County EMS, and none of the fire departments that responded to The N&O require them for employees.
“It’s because all of this is so early on,” Hammerstein said. “The flu shot is mandatory. It’s possible to get an exemption, but that has existed for several years. And I think year one of this we are not quite ready to say you have to have this, but who knows where the future goes with that.”
‘Preference would be for 100%’
All 69 firefighters at the Garner Fire Department were eligible to get the vaccine and about 35 have received it so far, said Fire Chief Matthew Poole. Some people couldn’t get the vaccine because they were out sick or on vacation, he said.
In Apex, 65 of the 95 eligible firefighters got vaccinated, said Apex Fire Chief Keith McGee.
“While my personal preference would be for 100% of my department’s eligible membership to have been vaccinated, I respect that this decision is ultimately up to every individual member based on their own research and views,” he said in an email.
At least 20 of Wendell’s 31 eligible firefighters got the vaccine, said Fire Chief Brian Staples.
“We provided the educational materials as supplied through Wake County and Wake County Public Health,” he said. “We participated in Wake County’s vaccine schedule and employees were able to go on-duty to get the vaccine. I went with one of our shifts and took the vaccine as well.”
All 55 of Holly Spring’s firefighters were eligible to get the vaccine and 17 have so far, said Mark Andrews, the town’s public information officer.
“Chief (LeRoy) Smith hopes that as more first responders get the vaccine, those who have not been vaccinated will see that it is safe and follow suit,” he said.
All of the fire departments that responded said they wouldn’t be changing anyone’s job duties based on vaccination status and said safety protocols to keep employees and the public safe were still in place.
“Whether they’ve taken the vaccine or not, our responders should still be taking all the precautions like wearing a mask, social distancing, washing their hands frequently,” Alford said. “I think the serving of the citizens in a first responder role, the citizens are still going to be protected.”
Raleigh, RDU Fire-Rescue, Cary and Wake Forest fire departments either supplied some of the information or said they were working on getting the information The N&O requested.
Durham Highway, Fairview, Fuquay-Varina, Hopkins, Knightdale, Northern Wake, Rolesville, Swift Creek, Western Wake and Zebulon fire departments have not responded to The N&O’s request.
Voluntary state COVID registry
State Fire Marshal Mike Causey announced a voluntary COVID-19 registry for first responders Thursday afternoon.
“Throughout the pandemic, our first responders have risked their own health and safety to protect our communities and it’s our duty to protect them,” Causey said in the news release. “This new technology will allow me and other state leaders to see first-hand the health issues of our first responders so we have the data necessary to get them the needed help.”
The news release said “current projections show increases of illness and death among first responders and members of the fire service due to the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses.”
Wake County firefighters felt the greatest impact in November when about 80 firefighters across the 20 departments had tested positive or were quarantining, Alford said.
“Our guys and gals are doing a much better job wearing a mask all the time, social distancing at the fire stations, so our numbers are staying pretty low right now,” he said.
Alford knocked on his wooden desk as he finished his sentence.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 5:50 AM with the headline "These NC firefighters were able to get the COVID vaccine first. Most didn’t. ."
