[Dion]

Police and firefighters still waiting for vaccine

The day before the province is rolling out its second attempt at mass H1N1 vaccination clinics, Calgary police and firefighters still don't know when they'll get their shots.


Mayor Dave Bronconiier says the city has the resources to administer the vaccine but Alberta Health Services (AHS) won't release any yet.


Bronconnier says the absentee rate for frontline city staff is double the norm and he doesn't want to see the situation get much worse. "When you are trying to serve the population in the best way possible we need to make sure we have our frontline staff healthy," says Bronconnier.


The city has 16,000 employees and the deputy chief of Calgary Emergency Management Agency is asking the province for 4,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine.

Tom Sampson says those doses would be used to vaccinate firefighters, police officers, 911 staff and some water and utility employees.


Sampson says the city is prepared to provide the nurses, doctors and healthcare workers to give those vaccinations to priority city workers. "We have nurses on standby, we also have a number of paramedic firefighters who still are qualified [to give the vaccine] and are prepared to join us in that bid to give others the vaccine," says Sampson.

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