News report: Closures at 26 firehouses in New York over vaccine mandate
FDNY says closed fire companies are due to a sickout.
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Susan Edelman, Rich Calder, Dean Balsamini & Melissa Klein, New York Post:
The FDNY shut down 26 firehouses across the Big Apple as of 7:30 a.m. Saturday because of staff shortages caused by the vaccination mandate, The Post has learned.
The shuttered companies included Engine 55 in Lower Manhattan, Engine 234 in Crown Heights, Engine 231 in Brownsville, Ladder 128 in Long Island City and Engine 158 and Ladder 78 in Richmond on Staten Island, according to an FDNY alert sent Saturday morning.
The FDNY blamed the short staffing on firefighters calling out sick, with one insider saying “hundreds” of firefighters have been taking medical leave to protest the mandate.
“It’s definitely a sickout. It’s a job action,” the insider said. “If they call in sick they have to go to the medical office. The medical office is overwhelmed.”
A high number of FDNY EMS EMTs and paramedics called in sick Saturday suffering side effects from their first COVID vaccine shot, leaving the city down 40 ambulances. – FDNYhttps://t.co/0ivg5JS018 pic.twitter.com/fTRZF2vQtv
— NYC EMS Watch (@NYCEMSwatch) October 30, 2021
