LA firefighters were offering prizes to get the COVID-19 vaccine

How about an Airbnb gift card with your high priority COVID-19 vaccine?

Or a home security system? A new bike? Or a free ride from Lyft?

These are some of the awards given by top brass of the Los Angeles Fire Department to attract an unexpected group: firefighters unwilling to get the shots.

The reluctance of LA firefighters adds to the list of frontline workers in the state who refuse to take the vaccine. This trend could have serious public health implications, according to health experts. Last week, The Times reported that up to 50% of healthcare workers in some regions oppose vaccination, citing a number of reasons including concerns about side effects and skepticism about science.

Firefighters are at the forefront of the pandemic. Many work as paramedics and paramedics who are regularly exposed to infected patients. To date, more than 670 firefighters in the city have tested positive, a dozen have been hospitalized and two have died, most recently Captain George Roque, 57, a 22-year-old veteran.

To encourage vaccination, fire chief Ralph M. Terrazas and fire union leaders ingested the cans in a videotaped event distributed this week. It’s “painless, quick,” he said. “I feel good. Aside from this little tenderness, I don’t feel any different.”

And for added encouragement, there are prizes. Vaccinated firefighters will be entered into a raffle for free Canarian security cameras, Google Nest entertainment systems, Aventon fixed-gear bikes and gift cards for Airbnb and Lyft. This emerges from a memo that Terrazas distributed last week.

The gifts are funded by the LAFD Foundation, a nonprofit that the Memo says is raising money to support the department.

The influence campaign and incentives are needed because voter turnout is far from universal, despite firefighters being the first city workers to have access to the vaccine. According to the boss, only 1,000 out of 3,400 were vaccinated in the first week.

“The fire department is a reflection of society,” said Terrazas. “There are some people who hesitate for fear of the unknown.”

According to experts and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, doubts about vaccines persist despite clear scientific evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Trials were conducted with tens of thousands of participants before the recordings were approved for wider use. A vaccine is now recommended for most adults.

Firefighters are most at risk of infection. As part of their job of responding to emergency calls and getting patients to emergency rooms, they are routinely in contact with sick patients. Regardless of whether they get a shot, they must wear protective equipment while working.

There is evidence that doubts are widespread in the fire service. According to an internal survey by a fire service union, more than 50% of New York firefighters said they would not take the vaccine.

How widespread this vibe is here in Los Angeles is not fully known, but top officials say they see and hear skeptics among the ranks. Some firefighters say they don’t feel comfortable being among the first to take the vaccine. Others say they have already been infected so they don’t feel they need the vaccine.

“There are cross-generational ways of thinking. The mindset of a 20-year-old is different from that of a 50-year-old, ”said Frank Lima, an LAFD captain and former union president who represents ordinary firefighters.

During a recent shift at a Hollywood ward on a day that firefighters were told to go downtown to get vaccinated, only four of the ten people on duty got the shot, including themselves, Lima said.

He encouraged all union members to get the shot but said he believes firefighters deserve to make their own decisions. “While we will fight teeth and nails to give them every opportunity,” said Lima. “We respect your right to make that decision.”

Terrazas said he personally asked the firefighters to get vaccinated.

“I spoke to a firefighter yesterday and asked him what his reluctance is. He said he wanted to see if there were any side effects, ”Terrazas said. “I sent him a link to the CDC website. I think he will see the data show that it is extremely rare for side effects to occur. “

Terrazas said he will be closely monitoring these numbers in the coming weeks. If the turnout is low, the boss said he would consider making the shot mandatory after the vaccine gets approval from federal regulators for wider use.

“I would rather have voluntary compliance,” said Terrazas. “Ultimately, there is the possibility of a mandate.”