Virus cases surging in S.F. Fire Department
The coronavirus surge taking hold of the Bay Area — spurred on by the highly contagious omicron variant — has reached the ranks of the San Francisco Fire Department, exacerbating existing staffing shortages as infected employees isolate.
By Wednesday, the 1,788-person department had as many as 60 reported cases of COVID19 for the month of December, including at least 40 active cases, said Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a fire department spokesperson. Despite the recent jump in cases, he said, the department’s operations have not been affected.
Cases have been spread out over numerous fire stations across the city and include civilian department employees, said Mawuli Tugbenyoh, chief of policy for the city’s human resources department.
About 98% of fire department employees are vaccinated, on par with the vaccination rate among all city employees, Tugbenyoh said.
“Omicron is everywhere, and we’ve been pushing hard for all of our employees, including firefighters, to get vaccinated, and more recently, to get the booster shot if they’re eligible,” Tugbenyoh said.
Fire department employees do not regularly get tested for coronavirus at work, but all employees are required to submit a health questionnaire every day. If they answer “yes” to any of the questions, their questionnaire gets sent to department physicians, who then determine whether that individual needs to get tested or removed from work.
Shon Buford, president of the firefighters union, said the positive cases have made for a “very fluid” situation within the fire department. Firefighters have been having to work extra shifts to fill in for sick or quarantining colleagues, he said.
“It is complicating our already dire staffing shortages,” he said. “It’s just been a mental and physical strain on our firefighters, who are being asked to go above and beyond during the holidays, and it’s taking them away from their families.”
Baxter said the fire department has been able to maintain full staffing levels and added that the department can turn to contingency plans if cases multiply and fire department operations do become impacted.
Fire department employees who test positive are removed from work and required to quarantine, Baxter said. While California has adopted new quarantining guidelines that were issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday, San Francisco health officials said this week that the existing guidance — a 10-day isolation period for asymptomatic cases — would stay in place for now.
On Tuesday, city officials announced the cancellation of the New Year’s Eve fireworks show over concerns about the spread of COVID-19 and firstresponder staffing levels. The annual spectacle is known to draw large crowds, and the omicron variant is spreading in the Bay Area at staggering rates.
Omicron “is impacting everyone in the community, including our public safety staff,” Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of the city’s Department of Emergency Management, said in a statement. “Canceling this New Year’s Eve fireworks show not only reduces the risk of omicron exposure, but also minimizes impacts on critical safety systems like 9-1-1, allowing dispatchers to remain available to those in most critical need.”