New York City is bracing for a shortage of cops and firefighters on Monday morning after the latest City Hall data revealed that around 24,000 city workers had yet to show proof of vaccination in defiance of his Friday deadline.
The police department, which employs about 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilian employees, reported an 84% vaccination rate as of Sunday morning, while the fire department said Sunday afternoon that 80% of its employees were vaccinated – 75% of firefighters, 87% of EMTS and 90% of civilian employees.
Mayor Bill de Blasio played down the possible risks to safety and security in the city, tweeting on Saturday night that 91% of city workers had received the vaccine, which represented a jump from about 83% from Friday night.
On Sunday, he claimed the number of workers who have yet to show proof of vaccination is inflated because their exemption requests are still being processed.
‘The vast majority of City workers, 91%, stepped up to put the health and safety of their city first and got vaccinated,’ de Blasio tweeted.
Under a city mandate, those who haven’t received at least one dose of the vaccine will be put on unpaid leave starting Monday, raising the possibility of shortages of police, fire and EMS workers. New York has more than 300,000 city employees.
The vaccination rates among FDNY and NYPD members have gone up since the Friday deadline passed but there are still more than 8,000 police officers and 3,700 FDNY employees, together with nearly 2,000 sanitation workers, who could be sent home.
On Saturday, 26 firehouses were reportedly closed across the city because of staff shortages. By Sunday night, 19 were said to be out of action.
Those showing up for duty on Sunday night were asked to remain at their firehouses until they could be properly staffed.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Congress member for the borough’s of Brooklyn and Staten Island said accused the Mayor’s Office of misleading the public by saying that no ‘firehouses’ were closed while failing to add that ‘many are operating at half capacity due to offline companies.’
New York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro also stated that no fire stations had been shut on Sunday night.
‘The department has not closed any firehouses. Irresponsible bogus sick leave by some of our members is creating a danger for New Yorkers and their fellow Firefighters. They need to return to work or risk the consequences of their actions,’ he wrote in a statement.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro denied reports that some firehouses had been closed due to shortages.
‘The department has not closed any firehouses,’ Nigro said in a statement Sunday morning.
‘Irresponsible bogus sick leave by some of our members is creating a danger for New Yorkers and their fellow firefighters. They need to return to work or risk the consequences of their actions.’
‘The question everyone’s asking: How many more minutes will it take to respond, how many more lives will be lost as a result?’ a police officer asked the New York Post.
‘There’s a correlation between time and mortality that a lot of people in City Hall don’t understand. Unfortunately, the only way they’re going to get the message is by seeing the numbers rise and rise. And seeing how crime is already on the rise, they really need to look at their priorities and decide if this is a good idea, and they need to do it soon.’
Those NYPD employees who remain unvaccinated are to be allowed to remain working but only if they apply for medical or religious exemptions, each of which would be reviewed by the NYPD Equal Employment Opportunity Division.
City officials have been weighing various contingencies to deal with an expected staffing shortfall come Monday.
The fire department has said it was prepared to close up to 20% of its fire companies and have 20% fewer ambulances in service while also changing schedules, canceling vacations and turning to outside EMS providers to make up for expected staffing shortages.
On Sunday, a message was sent through email as nearly 350 potential volunteer firefighters were tagged.
‘Good morning all,’ the email read. ‘We need to start identifying members of the service who are active volunteer firemen in both Long Island and Upstate counties in anticipation of the impending shortage for the FDNY due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
‘On a voluntary only basis operations is looking to have qualified members on standby to backfill firehouses if necessary.
De Blasio said the sanitation department will move to 12-hour shifts, as opposed to the usual 8-hour shifts, and begin working Sundays to ensure trash doesn’t pile up.
Vaccination rates for the city’s fire and sanitation departments jumped significantly on Friday as workers rushed to meet the deadline for the mandate and an extra incentive: Workers who got a shot by Friday will receive $500.
Last week, hundreds of city workers took to the streets to protest. A rally was held outsider of the mayor’s official residence at Gracie Mansion.
In protest of the mandate hundreds of New York City firefighters took sick leave on Friday instead of complying with De Blasio’s deadline for all city workers to be vaccinated or be placed on unpaid leave.
Announcing the mandate, Mayor de Blasio issued an ultimatum requiring workers to get at least one COVID shot by 9am Monday morning or be furloughed and be sent home.
Meanwhile, nationwide Covid-related infections and fatalities in the US have dropped to the lowest levels recorded since April 2021.
About 191million Americans have been fully vaccinated – nearly 58 percent of the population
On September 1 America was averaging 49.9 cases per 100,000 but as of Wednesday, this figure has dropped to 21.2 cases per 100,000.
Story cited here.
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