Crime & Safety
COVID Staffing Shortages At Fairfax County Fire Leads To Temporary Unit Closures
After dozens of employees tested positive for COVID-19, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue temporarily placed four units out of service.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department is making staffing adjustments after 66 employees recently tested positive for COVID-19, the department said Wednesday.
Along with the staff members who tested positive, 12 Fairfax County Fire and Rescue employees are in quarantine.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue has 1,260 career staff. Currently, 85.4 percent of department personnel are vaccinated. The non-vaccinated personnel are required to be tested regularly.
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“These temporary adjustments are the result of data-informed decisions made to minimize the impact of staffing changes on our communities and ensure that the men and women of FCFRD can continue providing the highest quality fire suppression and emergency medical services to the communities we serve,” Fairfax County Fire Chief John Butler said in a statement Wednesday.
Due to the staffing challenges, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue will be temporarily placing four units out of service: Tower Ladder 405 in Franconia, Medic 408B in Annandale, Medic 409B in Mount Vernon, and Medic 410B in Bailey’s Crossroads.
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The medic units are located at stations that have two EMS units assigned to them, ensuring that one EMS unit will remain in service at each station, according to FCFRD.
Among the other adjustments are temporary cross staffing among six units, including a Hazardous Materials Unit, a Hazardous Materials Support Unit, and four tankers across the county. Cross staffing allows apparatus to remain in service and available for response, the department said.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue also is requesting that its volunteer partners assist with staffing transport units.
“We must balance the ability to carry out the mission of our department with the health, safety, wellness, and morale of our responders,” Butler said. “Our goal is to return to normal operations as quickly and safely as possible as the number of positive covid cases decline within the department.”
RELATED: Fairfax Fire Recruits Graduate Early To Deal With Coronavirus
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