PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- Vaccination of the Philadelphia Fire Department against COVID-19 is underway.
Fire Paramedic Capt. Raphael Jones says the department is now in their second week of vaccination, starting with paramedics and EMTs at the Fire Administration Building.
"The roll out is going according to plan," Jones said. "Actually we are pretty excited with the response we have received by our members. We are vaccinating approximately 50 members per day.
He says so far they have vaccinated about 200 members, but not firefighters yet.
"I would think, by the beginning of next month, we would start rotating the fire fighter EMTs into the vaccination program," he said. "Given resources, we plan to have everyone vaccinated as soon as possible."
Firefighters have been wanting the vaccine because COVID-19 has stretched the department pretty thin. Medic units have had to be filled out with firefighter EMTs.
"The members need to be protected. The families need to be protected. And of course the public needs to be protected," Jones said. "And we are doing everything we can to have all of our members vaccinated."
He says, eventually, they will expand vaccinations to a second location, but for now, members are required to receive the vaccine at the Fire Administration Building.