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Eagan Police Chief Roger New said the virus had affected the functioning of his department.
According to New, since the beginning of November, 19 staff members have been affected by the virus. He said this resulted in changes in officers’ working hours, as well as changes in their roles.
He added that this has an impact on how new staff are trained.
New also said the concern with the spread of the community goes beyond their roles within the ministry.
“Every day a police officer goes to work, just like medical providers, paramedics and firefighters, we are all at risk of bringing this virus back to our families and it creates stressors at home,” New said.
Jay Wood, a longtime volunteer with Plato’s Fire Department, said the virus had also affected his department’s ability to do its job.
“Just like we preach about fire safety, a little spark can start a fire, and that’s exactly what happened to us,” Wood said.
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After three-quarters of the department of 20 to 25 volunteer firefighters were affected by COVID-19, either testing positive or needing to be quarantined, the chief took the department out of service for a short time in mid-November . The ministry had to rely on its mutual aid agreements with other ministries. Wood said the ministry has since returned to full service.
“We are not alone as a small department dealing with the virus and the personnel issues it has presented to us,” Wood said.
Ross Chavez, a paramedic in the Twin Cities, also spoke of the fatigue of members of the profession.
“It is difficult at best and unsustainable at worst,” he said.
Ross said he and his colleagues are often asked by the public what they can do to help. He said he responds by asking them to follow the advice of public health experts.
“Following these guidelines will help us stay healthy so that we can respond to emergencies in our communities in a timely manner,” Chavez said.
Ahead of the meeting, the Minnesota Fire Chiefs Association and the Minnesota Fire Department Association sent the governor a letter urging him to pressure federal officials to prioritize the COVID vaccine for first responders.
“During the pandemic so far, 99 of 498 fire departments reporting across the state have had outbreaks of COVID-19,” the letter reads. “This number is growing rapidly and the ability of many departments to respond to emergencies is on the verge of collapse.”
So far, healthcare professionals and long-term care workers have top priority for vaccines with first responders in the next level of priority. Walz said he agreed that first responders should be given priority, but said the decision was in the hands of federal officials.
“These are decisions that have to be based on science,” he said. “They have to be based on best practices. They have to be based on ethics. It is not a decision the governor makes or the governor makes alone.”
State officials are expected to get more information on vaccine distribution next week.
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