Portland Fire & Rescue Begins Firefighter Vaccinations

December 30, 2020 20:15

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Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R) received 1,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination today and will begin vaccinating Firefighter/EMTs and Paramedics starting tomorrow morning, December 31, 2020.

The vaccine delivery was coordinated by the Health Department at Multnomah County, which is tasked with setting priorities for vaccination within the county. Portland Firefighter/EMTs and Paramedics, along with other emergency medical providers in Multnomah County, are considered front-line health care workers and as such, are categorized as Phase 1a vaccine recipients. PF&R crews have responded to hundreds of 911 calls to the homes of people experiencing sometimes very advanced symptoms of COVID-19.

“Four weeks ago, the Federal Government began the largest vaccination distribution in US history, and Firefighters and other EMS providers will play a critical part in the massive effort of widescale population vaccination. For the last three weeks PF&R staff have been working non-stop to meet the state’s enrollment and application deadline,” says Fire Chief Sara Boone. “Immediate vaccination of our crews will help us remain available to safely respond to all emergency needs, including COVID-19 responses. Like many other fire departments and EMS providers, we have not been immune to the spread of SARSCoV-2 amongst our ranks and throughout our bureau.”

“I am extremely proud of the work Portland Fire & Rescue has continued to do during the COVID-19 outbreak. Over the holiday period, PF&R staff have worked tirelessly to organize a complex vaccination campaign,” says Fire Commissioner JoAnn Hardesty. “A special thanks to PF&R’s Occupational Nurse/EMS Program Manager Janet Woodside, County EMS Medical Director Dr. Jui, and Deputy Chief of Training Tim Matthews. Together, they assembled and led a multi-disciplinary Vaccination Task Force that included employees from across the bureau to ensure PF&R met the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention requirements; state vaccination provider mandates; and establishment of a vaccination hub for our public safety partners.”

Media Access:

Coverage of the first day of vaccinations will be offered with the use of a pool video camera provided by KGW news, a pool still photographer from The Oregonian newspaper, and pool mp3 audio file by KXl radio . The content will be made available to media partners by noon on December 31. Video content will be coordinated by KGW news. Still photographs and MP3 audio recording of the event will be provided by email request to fireinfo@portlandoregon.gov.

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