Previous Story
Latest Fire Academy kicks off today
|
Posted on Jul 19 2021
Dennis-Mendiola
The Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services will launch today an emergency Fire Academy that has been in the works since April, following the termination of nine firefighter who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
According to DFEMS Commissioner Dennis Mendiola, the academy will see a total of 52 cadets: eight from Rota, six from Tinian, and 38 from Saipan.
“The academy will be five months long. The plan for [graduation] is December,” Mendiola said.
DFEMS has been preparing to launch the emergency Fire Academy since April to make up for the loss of the nine firefighters who were terminated for refusing to get vaccinated.
Initially, the target date for the start of the academy was some time around June but had to be pushed back. It was then expected to kick off in August but now, it has officially been set to start July 19.
In a previous interview with Mendiola, he said the department was left with only 114 personnel due to the loss of the nine firefighters. “We’re already stretched thin, so what we did was we deploy personnel from Rota and Tinian to augment the shortage. We [need] to launch an emergency Academy and hopefully we can fill these positions as soon as possible,” Mendiola said.
According to Saipan Tribune archives, of the initial 23 individuals who signed a petition against the mandatory vaccination, nine were issued termination notices last Monday effective immediately for continuing to defy a directive to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The petition originally started off with 23 individuals but when the department put them on administrative leave, 14 of the 23 consulted with family members who convinced them to be vaccinated.
Currently, the nine are suing DFEMS and Mendiola, in his capacity as Fire Chief, for violating their constitutional rights and are asking the court to reinstate them to their previous posts while their lawsuit is pending.
