MADISON (WKOW) -- Madison's more than 350 firefighters are in the process of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, as other eligible firefighters in other parts of the state continue to wait.
Madison firefighter Mike Howell's been on the job for a decade and says nothing compares to this year's work, with many calls involving, full personal, protective equipment (PPE), escalated cleaning procedures and other new protocols. He's just received Pfizer's COVID vaccine and had no hesitation.
"There was a lot of science behind it," Howell says. "Our chiefs had full confidence in the vaccine...and they always have the best outlook for us, so that's why I decided to get it."
Assistant Chief Che Stedman says a vast majority of the department's 387 firefighters are expected to be vaccinated over the next few weeks. Stedman says an anonymous survey of department members showed 90 percent were open to the possibility of receiving the vaccine. He says firefighters are receiving the vaccine at the Alliant Energy Center during off-duty time.
Stedman believes vaccinations will help protect the department's firefighters and also continue to minimize the possibility of an outbreak of coronavirus cases compromising any operations. He says there have been fifty-eight members of the department to test positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic's onset in March of last year. Stedman says the transmission of only three of the cases have been traced to on-duty work. He says the introduction of the vaccine in the department will change no existing, protective steps at this time.
"As of right now, it's really about people's health, it's not about getting ready to take the masks off," Stedman says. "We understand we'll be wearing masks for awhile."
In some other communities, firefighters have received vaccine. "Like Mercy Janesville reserved vaccine for their firefighters," Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin Emergency Services Director Jerry Biggart says of one health group's actions.
But Biggart says in some parts of the state, synchronizing plans for the vaccine's roll out between hospitals with vaccine doses and fire departments has been slow and uncertain.
"We I think sometimes become numb to what is really going on in these little counties with fewer resources," Biggart says.
Biggart says he's been encouraged in recent days that vaccine will be available to all firefighters eligible in the Phase 1A of the vaccine's distribution by the end of the month. But he's continuing to monitor the progress of vaccinations.
"I can assure you we have work to do," Biggart says.
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January 08, 2021 at 05:50AM
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Madison firefighters receive vaccine, others wait - WKOW
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