SANTA MONICA—On Monday, January 4, the Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) announced that firefighters and paramedics were among the first fire departments in Southern California to be offered the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. In addition to SMFD frontline personnel receiving the vaccine, the SMFD assisted the rollout of the vaccine to 20 fire departments across Los Angeles County.
The effort was coordinated by an Incident Management Team comprised of fire chiefs and supported by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency.
“The Santa Monica Fire Department is working hard every day to protect the safety, health, and wellbeing of our community,” said Fire Chief Bill Walker. “It is critical that we ensure our Firefighters are available to respond to all emergencies and by getting vaccinated, we hope to keep them ready and available throughout this pandemic.”
The planning effort is being led by Tom Clemo, serving as the Incident Management Team Planning Section Chief. Clemo also serves as Deputy Chief with the Santa Monica Fire Department. Chief Silvio Lanzas, who serves as the Fire Chief of the Glendale Fire Department, is the Operations Chief, coordinating the movement of the vaccinations to firefighters across the region.
The SMFD is the first city department in Southern California to receive the vaccine. The distribution to other frontline workers will occur in the coming weeks and months aligned with the states guidance on vaccine prioritization.
