COVID-19 cases are on the rise among Fort Worth firefighters and police officers.
The Fort Worth Fire Department reported that 116 of the department's 927 firefighters are out on COVID-related leave.
At the Fort Worth Police Department, 56 positive COVID-19 cases were reported on Dec. 30, an increase of 24 cases from the previous report on Dec. 17, the department said.
The police department said employees can voluntarily report their vaccination status. A total of 576 individuals at the department have reported that they are vaccinated.
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"We are filling in our vacancies with some personnel from specialized units within the department," Shawn Stone, the Fort Worth Police Department's Captain, said. "Also, we are using personnel from other patrol functions (not call answering positions) to help out with the answering calls."
The Fort Worth Police Department said some officers work overtime to fill in for the temporary staffing challenge.
"We addressed these same challenges when COVID first hit and are prepared to move personnel around to make sure we continue to serve Fort Worth without an interruption in service," Stone said.
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A similar increase in COVID-19 cases was reported in Dallas on Monday. Close to 200 Dallas police and fire workers are quarantined after testing positive for COVID-19 as cases of the omicron variant surge, according to both departments.
More than three-quarters of the infected first responders, 155, are Dallas Fire-Rescue workers. It’s the highest number of fire staff out at one time, said Jason Evans, a Fire-Rescue spokesman.
Thirty-six police officers and eight civilian workers have tested positive for the virus so far this week, said police senior corporal Brian Martinez. He said 1,051 workers, including 881 officers, have caught the virus since March 2020.
