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Vital Employees Shortages Potential When Santa Clara Co. Vaccine Mandate Takes Impact – CBS San Francisco

SAN JOSE (KPIX) — The deadline for some Santa Clara County emergency responders to get vaccinated or stay home is fast approaching, and if they don’t show up, there could be gaps in critical staffing positions.

A health regulation comes into effect on Tuesday for all workers in so-called “high-risk” jobs to provide evidence of vaccinations and booster shots or be unable to report to work. This includes medical personnel and firefighters.

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“We really, really hope that people will go ahead and get their booster shots, it’s very simple,” Santa Clara District Attorney James Williams said.

The order has been threatening for months, and fire departments and other agencies are working to verify their employees are complying, but loopholes remain.

“We originally saw a vaccination rate of over 90 percent, and as such, we expect our refresher rates will be similar,” said Erica Ray, a spokeswoman for the San Jose Fire Department.

The department says 634 firefighters were fully vaccinated, leaving 42 short of the published workforce of 676. The department doesn’t know exactly how many vaccinated but not reinforced firefighters there are.

To fill the gap when firefighters can’t show up for work, the city plans to cover shifts with overtime.

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“We relied on our members to schedule extra hours. So we are very
confident in our ability to provide these critical services to our community,” said Ray.

Last week, firefighters from multiple agencies raised concerns that it was dangerous to rely on overtime to cover shifts, urging supervisors to flout the health board and overturn the mandate.

“We have a critical staffing crisis in our rescue system and hospitals. The public is at risk now,” said San Jose Firefighter Barry Arata.

The county holds firefighters’ employers responsible for compliance with the job, not the firefighters themselves.

“We will be proactive in reaching out and making sure people have complied with the order,” Williams said.

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The consequences of non-compliance can range from administrative offenses to fines.

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