Firefighters Trained To Administer Vaccinations

News release from Mayor’s office:

City of Bridgeport officials announce that thirty-eight Bridgeport Fire Department (BFD) members were trained to administer COVID-19 vaccines during four training classes offered at BFD headquarters and facilitated by the Bridgeport Health Department, with Lieutenant Varanelli, on January 30 and January 31, 2021.

Mayor Ganim stated, “I want to thank our Fire Department for stepping up. Qualified BFD members volunteered to support the health department to administer the vaccine to eligible registrants. We appreciate their efforts as we increase the number of people in place to help get the vaccine to our residents.”

Of his firefighters and their commitment, Chief Thode added, “It’s in a firefighter’s DNA to want to help. I am so proud of the members who have stepped up to serve the public. Whether it’s a fire, tragic accident, medical emergency, or in this case–a virus, Bridgeport firefighters are in the life saving business.”

On December 7, 2020 the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health granted licensed Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) authorization to administer the COVID-19 vaccine after successful competition of a vaccination training program. Training included an online training module and a hands-on class at Bridgeport Fire Headquarters for BFD members that both volunteered and have active status as an EMT or Paramedic. Today, trained BFD members successfully assisted City efforts as volunteer vaccinators at Central High School.

Trained Fire Department members will continue to serve as volunteer COVID-19 vaccinators under the guidance of the Bridgeport Health Department. For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit bridgeportct.gov/getvaxbpt or click here.

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13 comments

  1. This is no time to bring in inexpensive firefighters to get administer a life saving vaccine plus are they volunteering their time, who is paying for this service? There are more than 38 retired nurses who could be used.

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    1. Nunez-Smith is the chair of the White House’s Covid-19 health equity task force said, part of that wariness comes from the “very, very dark moments in the history of medical experimentation” in this country, including such cases as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment and the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks. Some come from Black people’s experiences of discrimination by doctors and at hospitals that date back just a week or a month.

      “We have to be able to name the bias that people have experienced” before more equitable health outcomes can be achieved,” she said. Bringing in inexperienced firefighters to administer a life saving vaccine makes that wariness worse.

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    2. “It’s in a firefighter’s DNA to want to help. ”

      Hey, Ron Mackey and Donald Day. When are you guys going to start being helpful? I mean last week I posted my cell number for Day or Mackey to call me. I was going to ask Day to set a meeting with Senator Moore. A chance to drop the Speedy pursuit of what really happened during campaign 2019. Time has expired, full speed ahead!

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    1. That’s not true, in New Youk and California, were the first states to recruit retired nurse from any state, they paid for their travel and room and board because they needed experience nurses and they were willing to pay for it. Hell, a diabetic can give an injection We are not talking about a flu shot but a virus that’s has killed over 450,000 people.

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  2. Comrade, there is a hell of a difference between a cold, heartless racist experiment then trained professional firefighters administering life-saving treatments. There’s not much of an issue with them or other first responders with Narcan or other life-saving medical treatments. As you said, “Hell, a diabetic can give an injection,” and that’s basically what they are doing.

    Optically, it does look off, and nurses would be a better choice. I hope they give them white jackets for comfortability. EMTs would sound better. On the bright side at least they are not cops.

    Comrade, want optically racism? If there comes a time and this vaccine doesn’t quite turn out as hoped and a “variant” strain mutates that this vaccine is ineffective. Well, let’s make it look/sound racist.

    When the first news reports of a new mutated covid made headlines, it was in England. All the news outlets reported this vaccine will protect you from it. Now, if they feel this vaccine is not as effective or will not protect you from a mutated covid strain, So it must be from Africa and Brazil.

    How come this is not an utter F-ing failure now Biden’s in office. When Trump was in office everything was a F-ing disaster. Does anyone remember Gov Cuomo and his daily press conference or the liberal news outlets like CNN on a 24-hour loop about ventilators and hospital beds? In which Trump set up the Javit Center and sent a hospital ship to add thousands of extra beds that less the 25 people used.

    Now it’s just a glitch in supply that renders the first shot useless. Just some food for thought. The things that make you go hmmm.

    P.S I assume Port students now have computers, take some of the 40 million to provide a real writing software to add the students. Microsoft Word is not that effective as writing software.

    For your eyes, Local Eyes, Bam I am out of her. 🙂

    https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/What-happens-if-you-can-t-get-second-COVID-15924045.php?src=rdctpdensecp

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  3. Considering the current administration’s propensity to lie, cheat and steal to Justify the outcomes that it desires, I wonder if all those firefighters are indeed EMT’S and Paramedics. Housatonic
    community College have two-year degree programs in paramedic training. Oftentimes there’s a pre-requisite of college-level biology, math and English in order to be accepted in a paramedic program.
    Paramedic courses can be between 1,200 to 1,800 hours. EMT and paramedic courses consist of lectures, hands-on skills training, and clinical and/or field internships.

    Again, I wonder if all those firefighters are indeed EMT and Paramedicine qualified? While we can appreciate their willingness to serve the Bridgeport community, one should certainly hope that they are qualified to serve and not just another attempt of the Ganim cohorts to cast Mayor Ganim in a better spotlight.

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    1. Don, only nurses and doctors give vaccination in hospitals because that’s their job that’s what they do. Don, when we were on the job we had a firefighter who was a nurse and worked at Bridgeport Hospital. Firefighters do what they always do, they are going to give their all and give their best but it’s Mayor Joe Ganim who has not hired a new Health Director during this pandemic, now he wants to use firefigjters to bail his dumb ass out.

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    1. This is unbelievable, we are dealing with a world wide pandemic where over 450,000 Americans who are dead and Mayor Ganim has no leadership in the health department because he hasn’t hired a new Health Director, yes he appointed a nice woman as the Acting director but she knows nothing about a pandemic and putting people in place for a vaccine, it sounds almost criminal by all these issues like over 1100 city workers getting the vaccine that they had no business getting.

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