First Responders Get H1N1 Vaccine

CATHEDRAL CITY – Most of the calls to the Cathedral City fire station are for medical assistance. And there’s a good chance these first responders could be exposed to an illness. So they have to be prepared for anything.

“We carry masks. We carry gloves. Gowns. Other items. Eyeglasses to protect ourselves,” says Jeremy Keenan, a paramedic and firefighter with Cathedral City.

Now, they have the extra protection of the H1N1 vaccine. Riverside County is holding mobile, on-site clinics for first responders. It’s the first chance for this high priority group. The county says limited supplies delayed distribution. They say now there’s enough H1N1 shots for all the first responders who want them.

Emergency crews in the valley got shots at the Cathedral City fire department. An employee recently got sick with the swine flu and Fire Chief Bill Soqui says the department can’t afford it.

“It’s something that’s debilitating for a few days and again we have to maintain our operations. We’re first responders. Folks expect us to be here. If we can prevent an illness that’s important to do up front so that our folks can be at work and taking care of other folks,” says Soqui.

These clinics are only for first responders and not open to the public at this time. But, with supplies for the vaccines running low, some have asked for their family members to get the shot. Health workers vaccinated around 50 people. And, it wasn’t just firefighters. Cathedral City police officers and some Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies also signed up for the shot.

“If anything, I think, they’re at a greater risk, personally. Because they don’t have all the personal protective equipment that we carry,” says Keeanan.

Doctors say the vaccine is important for children and pregnant women. But, for first responders it’s more. It’s a matter of protecting the protectors. The County will hold another H1N1 vaccination clinic for first responders only on Friday November 20th from 7 am to 1 pm.