Vaccine Mandate? Yakima County Firefighters Give a Resounding “No”

Perhaps another consequence not considered by Gov. Inslee and his 'advisors' when handing down the vaccine mandate?

   Yakima County Firefighters recently sent a letter to the Governor, saying if the mandate stays in place, various departments stand to lose a lot of much-needed firefighters.

Two unions, IAFF Yakima 469 and  IAFF Local East Valley all signed off on the letter, including their top officials.

The letter included this statement:

“With this mandate, the entire upper valley of Yakima and beyond, stands to lose a significant portion of its firefighters."

Many might not know Inslee's mandate for full vaccination includes professional (full-time) and volunteer firefighters, EMT's and paramedics. The firefighters believe a regular rigorous testing program would help prevent the spread of COVID while also preserving the worker's rights to personal freedom--including making health decisions.

Much like Benton and Franklin Counties, Yakima is the only city with full-time paid 'career' firefighters, like Kennewick Pasco and Richland. But the outlying areas including Selah and West and East Valley, depend heavily on volunteers who are not full-time paid. That's like our Benton and Franklin County Rural Fire Districts.

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According to a report from KAPP-TV, Selah has 7 full-time paid firefighters but relies on 60 volunteers. Officials estimate their department could lose as much as ten percent of their numbers if the vaccine mandate stays as is.

Inslee's mandate also applies to all healthcare providers, K-12 educators, and previously he issued one for state employees. It will be interesting to see what happens on Oct. 18th when his 'deadline' arrives. Will the 'state' actually be firing people?