September 1, 2021 4:00 a.m.

A local firefighters group opposes Governor Kate Brown’s mandate that all healthcare workers in Oregon, including first responders, be vaccinated or face termination.

A release from the Douglas County Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF: AFL – CIO, Local 2091, says their organization, “…adamantly disagrees with forced vaccinations and defends our members right to choose when it comes to personal medical decisions”.

The group includes firefighters from the Winston-Dillard Fire District and Douglas County Fire District No. 2.

The release said that no one is more keenly aware of the risks, or had more direct experience with COVID-19 than the men and women in the medical field; particularly in emergency services.

The local said, “Douglas County Professional Firefighters have had ample opportunity to receive the vaccination, to include hosting one of the first drive-through clinics available to the county. We trust any member who is not vaccinated at this point to have thoughtfully and thoroughly considered all aspects, and we should respect their decision”.

Their release said “To threaten these brave men and women who have fought on the front lines for nearly two years during this pandemic with termination if they do not comply is the literal definition of coercion”.

The group believes that the mandate appears to be in direct opposition to an Oregon law, which forbids forced immunization as a condition of employment of healthcare workers, including firefighters.

The document concludes by saying: “This mandate sets a dangerous precedent, and should be very concerning to all when politicians use loopholes, fear tactics and threats to further agendas. Our collective opposition to this mandate is not about politics, COVID-19, or the vaccine itself. It is about basic American freedoms and our rights as individuals to make personal medical choices”.

The release was provided to News Radio 1240 KQEN on Tuesday.