Terminated firefighters speak in court

The nine firefighters who were sacked after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 took the stand yesterday in Superior Court to plead their case that they be reinstated in their jobs while their case against the CNMI government is ongoing.

During a hearing yesterday, Associate Judge Joseph Camacho allowed eight out of nine firefighters to take the stand to explain, in their own words, why they believe the court should grant them a preliminary injunction that would reinstate them as Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services firefighters while their lawsuit against the department is pending.

A preliminary injunction is an order prohibiting an action, but in this case reversing an action and reinstating the nine, to preserve the status quo while the court decides on the lawsuit.

After hearing all their testimonies, Camacho placed the matter under advisement.

Most of the firefighters told the court that they believe the vaccine shouldn’t be “forced” upon them because they fear unknown effects that could later arise years from now. They added that it’s an “experimental vaccine” that has yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Others said they should be able to decide what goes into their body. The FDA has granted “emergency use authorization” for the use of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson&Jonhson vaccines.

According to Jose Angui, Paul Acebedo, Cain Castro, Philip Calen, and Argernon Flores, they want to wait until more studies have been done on the vaccines because it took less than a year of testing before it was pushed out into the world.

In addition, they said they were concerned about possible health problems down the road.

As a compromise, the firefighters said that if granted reinstatement, they would be more than fine with wearing protective gear during work hours and to be isolated from the community.

Another firefighter, Shawn Kaipat, shared that his refusal to get vaccinated stems from a traumatizing experience he had with vaccines during his time in the military. He said he developed an autoimmune deficiency years after getting an anthrax vaccine when he was with the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (under the U.S. Navy) in 2002.

“After getting the vaccine, I had no trouble with the vaccine. In 2008, after getting a mandatory flu vaccine with DFEMS, I became bedridden due to a sharp pain in my back that went misdiagnosed for months until I met with a Pacific Medical Center’s physician, who diagnosed me with autoimmune deficiency. In 2012, I got an email from the Department of Defense recalling the anthrax shot because it was discovered to cause autoimmune deficiency, among other conditions, and everyone who were vaccinated were urged to get checked. That’s when I put two and two together,” he said.

Another firefighter, Derek Gersonde, also took the stand to share that one of his lungs collapsed 12 year ago, and since then, he has been extremely conscious about substances entering his body, especially substances that could affect his respiratory system.

Also sharing his opinions was Adam Safer, who claims he has done extensive research where he learned that the vaccine cannot be forced on anyone.

“There is not one federal department in the U.S that requires a COVID-19 vaccine. It’s just funny that here, we’re required to get one,” he said.

In addition, he argued that they should be given the same exemption like individuals who claim they have religious restrictions.

“We’re being prosecuted for not wanting to get the vaccine but someone gets to say they believe in God and not get vaccinated. It’s unfair,” he said.

No status conference has been set for the matter as of yesterday.