Some Montgomery County fire and EMS workers are too cavalier about vaccination

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D), right, addresses questions after touring the vaccination site at Montgomery College’s Germantown Campus in April. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Regarding the Oct. 20 Metro article “County faces pushback over proposed mandate”:

I am disappointed in the seemingly cavalier attitude of members of the fire and emergency medical services departments in refusing to get vaccinated and not complying with the Montgomery County requirement for testing.

I have always assumed that EMS employees and volunteers treat patients with the methods that have proved successful after testing by the medical community. If so, how can they refuse the vaccines that have proved highly effective in preventing serious disease?

Likewise, where is the leadership of these departments in not assuring that unvaccinated employees are being tested, a requirement since August? Does that mean that employees are also not following requirements to stay certified in other parts of their jobs, such as CPR, medication administration, etc.?

Carol Whitney, Silver Spring