Florida chief fired for not forcing firefighter vaccinations

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A Florida battalion main has been fired for refusing to subject workers who hadn’t gotten a COVID-19 vaccine successful usurpation of a request for region employees.

Orange County Fire Rescue battalion main Stephen Davis was fired Tuesday for nonaccomplishment to travel a nonstop bid and contented disciplinary actions earlier this month, said Lisa McDonald, a spokeswoman for the occurrence section successful metro Orlando.

But a national representing firefighters told WFTV that Davis didn’t constitute up the disciplines due to the fact that the workers connected his database were mistakenly identified arsenic unvaccinated oregon hadn’t gotten their requests for spiritual exemptions successful connected time.

“He didn’t bash what helium was asked to bash due to the fact that helium realized immoderate radical connected the spreadsheet that helium received were afloat vaccinated and had spiritual exemptions astatine the clip and helium knew it was unlawful and violating authorities law,” firefighter Jason Wheat told the Orlando tv station.

Orange County employees were required to amusement impervious by the extremity of September that they’d received a changeable of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine oregon the archetypal dose of the double-shot Moderna oregon Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. Employees indispensable beryllium afloat vaccinated by the extremity of October unless they petition a spiritual oregon aesculapian exemption, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Almost 4 twelve Orange County Fire Rescue employees, including Davis, according to WFTV, person sued the region implicit its vaccine mandate, calling it “unlawful, unconstitutional and highly invasive.”

When issuing the order, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings initially said region employees who refused to get vaccinated could beryllium terminated, but helium aboriginal backed down and capped subject astatine written reprimands.

Orange County besides has been threatened with fines by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ medication implicit its worker vaccine mandate, but Demings said the region would combat immoderate efforts by authorities officials to enforce penalties.

Davis had been with the occurrence section since 2007.

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