Letter sent to National Governors Association
International Association of Fire Fighters
Dear Governors:
我代表全国32,000名专业消防员和应急医务人员，我恭敬地要求您在州Covid-19疫苗分配计划中最高优先级的消防员和紧急医疗响应者。
As you are aware, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have recommended that first responders, including fire fighters and emergency medical services personnel, be included in the initial vaccine distribution phase – phase 1(a). As stated by the Academies, reasons for protecting first responders include “the social value of maintaining emergency services, reciprocity for the assumption of additional risk by these groups, and…higher risk of acquiring infection and, potentially, transmitting the virus.”
Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations for Firefighters?
The level of risk to responders has never been greater than it is today. More than 30,000 professional fire fighters have had known exposures to COVID-19 in the course of duty, necessitating over 17,000 such personnel to quarantine or isolate. Nearly 150 professional fire fighters have been hospitalized upon contracting the virus, and at least 19 have died. All this, despite PPE use and rigorous decontamination procedures, makes vaccinating fire fighters and emergency medical personnel all the more urgent. The virus not only places the lives and health of responders at risk, it also poses a risk to the larger community as well as to fire fighters responding to emergencies in homes, businesses and elsewhere before they may be aware of an infection.
充分接种的消防员和紧急医疗响应者将允许这些人员在此医疗危机期间继续为社区服务。缺乏足够的疫苗接种，当他们接触Covid-19阳性个人时，响应者将继续受到冗长的检疫，在当地政府施加大量成本，因为它们被回填或经营不足，增加响应时间和对公共安全的负面影响。
Again, we request you prioritize fire fighters and emergency medical responders in the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine and ensure such personnel are included in the highest priority tier in your state’s distribution plan.
We appreciate your assistance in this important matter.
Sincerely,
A Harold A. Schaitberger General President
