LAFD Receives Enough Coronavirus Vaccines For Most Firefighters

LOS ANGELES, CA — Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Monday the Los Angeles Fire Department has now received 3,200 doses of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine, enough to provide an initial dose to "virtually everybody" in the department. LAFD received their doses on Tuesday, and predicts that all firefighters will be offered a vaccine in the next two weeks.

According to its website, LAFD has 3,246 uniformed personnel and 353 other employees. Mayor Garcetti said that in a survey of 1,400 fire department personnel, 90% of responders said they would sign up for voluntary vaccinations.

"In a moment when we're kicking off the long road to recovery through vaccines, this is a bright spot for us to close out the year," Garcetti said.

The mayor said half of LAFD firefighters and paramedics can get the vaccine on before this Wednesday, while the second half can receive vaccines on January 4, 5 and 6. Doses will be administered at Station 4, a station in the San Fernando Valley, and a station in Watts.

"We want to make sure that those who are on the front lines exposing themselves to danger are the ones that we protect under the protocols of the vaccine first," Garcetti said. "These are the folks who are always there for us, not just during COVID, but when any disaster strikes. Whether it's a fire,whether it's a medical emergency, we know that these men and women are thefolks that are literally angels in our city of angels,'' Garcetti said.

LAFD Chief Ralph Terrazas said over 600 LAFD firefighters have tested positive for coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. Over 450 have recovered and returned to work.

"The post-Thanksgiving surge has also hit the LAFD with higher numbers of firefighters testing positive and forced to quarantine. But we do see the vaccine as a light at the end of a very long tunnel," Terrazas said. "This protection will extend beyond our firefighters, it will extend it to their families, their peers, and the people of Los Angeles that we serve.''

City News Service and Kenan Draughorne contributed to this report.