Vaccines not required for EMTs, firefighters

Firefighters and EMTs in the Central Fire and EMS District will not be required to get COVID-19 vaccinations, thanks to an exemption for smaller departments.

District chairman Larry Oehmichen said he spoke with an attorney at the Wisconsin Towns Association, who told him that government entities serving less than 10,000 residents are exempt from a federal order requiring most employees to get vaccinated. This message was relayed to the district board at its Nov. 18 monthly meeting. The exemption is a moot point at this time since the order itself is on hold.

The order, issued by the Biden administration, was temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court that issued a stay on the mandate that all businesses with 100 or more employees require either vaccinations or regular COVID tests.

District chief Joe Mueller said it was initially thought the district would have to require its members to get vaccinated because it receives money through Medicare and Medicaid.

Mueller said he didn’t want to be in the position of having to verify members’ vaccination status.

“I’m not going to ask if you got it because I don’t want to know your medical records. That’s above me,” he said. “I’m not supposed to pry into your privacy.”

If a vaccine mandate had been enforced, Mueller predicted a large wave of resignations.

“You would have probably lost 80 per- cent of our staff,” he said.

Mueller said he only knows of six people serving in the district who have gotten a vaccination shot.

“There may more out there that didn’t tell anybody, but that’s all I know of,” he said.

Reached by phone after last Thursday’s meeting, Oehmichen expressed similar concerns about the impact of a possible vaccine mandate on district staff.

“When you have half your EMTs saying they’re going to quit, you’re going to have people laying on the side of the highways dying because there’s no one there to pick them up,” he said.

Other business

_ The district responded to 89 ambulance calls and no fire calls from Oct. 21 to Nov. 18.

_ Mueller said he and Captain Kurt Robida met with someone from the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to go over the district’s ISO rating. Hydrant testing was done to see how much water flow is available for fighting fires. The ISO rating for homes and businesses within fives miles of a fire station is 6, while any property beyond that is rated at a 10, with 10 being the least protected.

“I talked to an insurance agent, who said a lot of insurance companies don’t even look at ISO anymore,” Mueller said. “They don’t care. Their rates are what they are.”

_ Mueller said a new power lift cot has been installed on Med 31, the 2006 ambulance stationed at Dorchester.

_ Mueller said a township board member has been bringing complaints to one of the fire stations, when they should be brought to district meetings.

“This is where they should be discussed and talked about,” he said. “Maybe we can come to a resolution.”

_ The board approved $14,742 in monthly expenditures.