66% of Colorado Springs Fire Department has proof of covid vaccination
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- As the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing a rule that will require all employers with 100 or more employees to mandate the vaccine for workers, the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) has a proven vaccination rate of 66.4 percent.
There is an exception to that rule, as employees who do not get vaccinated can submit to weekly COVID-19 testing. CSFD says just about two-thirds of staffers have shown proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
Unlike Denver, Colorado Springs does not have a vaccination requirement for city employees. But if Colorado Springs did, or if a federal mandate came down, CSFD Chief Randy Royal doesn't think the fire department would lose employees.
"That's an unknown, but I don't believe there would be a mass walkout in the department," Royal told KRDO. "Would there be some that might make that choice? Probably. Just like there is in Denver as well."
Barring any policy changes by departments or federal mandates, City of Colorado Springs employees would not be forced to chose between getting vaccinated or keeping their job.
For comparison, the Denver Fire Department has a 92% vaccination rate, according to the Denver Post. Those figures seem to be in line with county vaccination rates, as Denver County has an 82.4% vaccination rate, compared to El Paso County's 68%.
The Denver Fire vaccination numbers are also likely inflated by the fact that Denver firefighters will soon need the vaccine to keep their job.
Royal adds that the fire department has educated employees on the vaccine and has encouraged firefighters to get the COVID-19 vaccine. But, he feels the employees should be able to make their own decision.
Despite that, he's not concerned about future staffing.
"We have an academy that's going on right now with 19 more people and we feel pretty good that once it comes out, we're going to be in a far better place than we are today," Royal said.
Royal is paying attention to the City of Denver employee vaccination mandate and feels ready if something similar were to occur in Colorado Springs.
"We're watching it to see what happens and if they lose any staff over it," Royal continued. "At this point, we're not anticipating going in that direction."
The city says it has not received vaccination numbers from the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), but a city representative told KRDO that CSPD must submit the figures by Oct. 18.
