OLYMPIA, Wash. — The leader of Washington state’s wildfire response is calling on federal agencies to take the additional step of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations among wildland firefighting forces to secure the country's wildfire response capability.
State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz sent a letter Monday to U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging them to require COVID-19 vaccinations for wildland firefighters. Franz also called for the deployment of federal resources to make vaccinations available at all fire camps on federal land.
The state mandate alone will not fully protect firefighters from the spread of COVID-19 given the increased fire danger and deployment of federal firefighters across the U.S. West, Franz said.
Last week, a federal crew on its way to the Muckamuck Fire in Washington was forced to turn back due to its members contracting COVID-19, according a statement from Franz's office.
"Given the unprecedented fire danger threatening Washington's communities, we cannot afford to lose a single firefighter, a single engine, or a single plane to a COVID-19 outbreak," Franz said. "We can't keep Washington safe unless our crews are safe first."
Franz is requiring all wildland firefighters in the Department of Natural Resources to be vaccinated against the virus by Oct. 18, which is in line with Gov. Jay Inslee's vaccine mandate for state employees. The Department of Natural Resources will make vaccines available at fire camps and the sites will be open to all personnel from any jurisdiction, not just DNR firefighters, according to Franz.
"With months of wildfire season still to come, we must do everything in our power – and work together across jurisdictions – to protect our communities and our firefighters in these extreme wildfire conditions," Franz said. "We cannot combat the increasing threat of catastrophic wildfire, however, without first prioritizing the health and safety of the firefighters who are on the frontlines."