Vaccination policy

Volunteer firefighters must be vaccinated, or tested regularly

Mandating Prince Edward County’s contingent of volunteer firefighters to be vaccinated was an agenda item at last Tuesday’s council meeting. The drawn out discussion saw a report from the Fire Department that called for volunteer firefighters to be included in the County’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, which already covers municipal employees as well as councillors. The report also called for non-vaccinated volunteer firefighters to be placed on a temporary leave of absence from attending first response calls, a motion that failed along with referring the report back to staff and the incoming fire chief for assessment. What did pass (in a seven to five recorded vote) was an amended motion stating the current COVID-19 vaccination policy be amended to state that volunteer firefighters who are not able to provide proof of being fully vaccinated be required to provide proof of a negative COVID- 19 test.

The meeting also heard an impassioned deputation—a late agenda item addition—by a member of the public, Sarah Sparks. Speaking on behalf of a number of neighbours, Sparks made a number of points and a plea. She began by noting that by placing non-declared firefighters on leave, stations 5, 8 and 9 in Ameliasburgh, Rossmore and Carrying Place and Rednersville Road will lose five out of 25 (20 per cent) of its first responders. “It also represents 80 years of combined experience: two captains, vital trainers, and a former paramedic with 30-plus years of experience on medical emergencies,” stated Sparks. “These are also some of the most frequent responders to our critical calls locally.” Deputy fire chief Tim Kraemer noted 124 volunteer firefighters out of 134 had chosen to get fully vaccinated against COVID- 19, adding that all division commanders at each station unanimously agreed they would like to see all volunteer firefighters vaccinated. CAO Marcia Wallace noted testing is an alternative option. “It wasn’t specifically outlined in this report, but it definitely is an alternative and could be used as it relates to the volunteer firefighters.”

“For some reason, Council is being asked to believe that a person holding a hose to save a burning home or farm in our community is a life-threatening risk to the home owner if the person has chosen not to disclose their private medical history,” Sparks said. “That seems ludicrous and we question the motives behind such a detrimental motion.” She pointed out that with a cardiac arrest for example, a timely response by medical professionals is critical. “Do you really care if the person who is able to go into a burning building and save them has had a shot or not?” she asked. “In that critical moment, do we honestly care?” She said the motion reduces the volunteer fire response without having any substitutes in place. “There was no contingency plan for this reduced staffing.” Councillor Prinzen suggested the incoming new fire chief should be consulted on a new policy. “It sounds like we are changing the rules before he gets here,” said Prinzen.

Sparks also noted that they do not believe council has funds available to hire full-time firefighters and pay them to provide coverage in stations 5, 8 and 9. “You have to remember these are firefighters; they rescue people from the bay, they provide immediate medical aid and they were good enough for the last 30 years, they were good enough to help us through the crisis,” outlined Sparks. She said the concept of a moral injury came up. “That is where someone is put in a position where they have to choose between something they deeply believe in or being able to contribute to their community.” Currently, the County lacks a critical incident support team for these people, said Sparks. “They are already at risk of PTSD; what we don’t want as a community is to add to any mental health stresses or injuries they may already carry.”

When asked what was being done to mitigate the situation in the impacted area in Ameliasburgh, Kraemer replied, “I have asked one fulltime staff member and another volunteer who live within the area to start responding to calls in that service area. While we would have four individuals impacted within the Ameliasburgh response area, I am asking that two start presently servicing with stations 5, 8 or 9.” He added that it is important for the public to understand that they never send one single station to a call by itself, noting it is always two and sometimes three. “The most salient point is in a crisis situation we don’t care,” said Councillor Janice Maynard. “That we will balance the risks of having the first available person to respond to that emergency to get the best possible outcome; I took that sentence to heart that in a crisis situation, we really don’t care whether they are vaccinated or not.”

Kraemer noted it wasn’t the intent of the report to mandate a firefighter to be vaccinated. “My job is to identify a risk and mitigate a risk, and exposure to liability where people required to enter a building are required to be vaccinated; protecting the most vulnerable residents and protecting the worker while they are doing their job,” he stated. Noting the difficult decision, Mayor Steve Ferguson said all the volunteer firefighters, except 10, are fully vaccinated. “The deputy chief has indicated contingency plans are in place if this passes and I think we owe it to the vast majority of volunteer firefighters to support them,” he said. “We also owe it to the public, whether they are the recipient of services from the volunteer fire department or other first responders, to ensure they get the respect of knowing all protection has been taken to minimize any contact to Covid,” said Ferguson. “That compelling argument in my mind is to support this as presented by staff.” The November 23 council meeting can be viewed on the County’s YouTube channel.