Firefighters and support staff praised for vaccination efforts

Firefighters from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service will be supporting the vaccination campaign across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent schools by delivering batches of the COVID-19 vaccine.

This comes after the service supported with surge testing and vaccinations during the most recent wave, and is part of a huge national effort from fire services across the country to help with the pandemic response.

The agreement will see firefighters and support staff, deliver vaccines to and from vaccination centres to schools.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue staff have already helped to deliver over 3,500 vaccinations in collaboration with the Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) and they are keen to get this number even higher and help protect people across the county from the virus.

Rich Williams, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Station Manager for the Covid Tactical Cell, said: “It’s been a fantastic show of collaboration and community spirit and another example of how we are ready, willing, and able to support our communities and partners through these unprecedented times."

Dr Paddy Hannigan, Clinical Lead at the Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent STP Coronavirus Vaccination Programme, said: "We are extremely grateful to Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service for all the support they are giving us for the vaccination campaign across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

"By delivering vaccines to our school teams and then collecting unused vaccines - while maintaining the necessary cold temperatures during transportation - and by hosting walk-in clinics across the county, the service is playing a major role in protecting the public during the pandemic."