Pullman Fire Department staffer resigns because of vaccine mandate

One Pullman Fire Department staff member has resigned because of Gov. Jay Inslee’s vaccine mandate, and the city is waiting to see if another staff member is leaving as well.

City Administrator Mike Urban said Wednesday the staff members include one paramedic/firefighter and one fire officer. One of those employees submitted a written resignation and the city is waiting to see if the other returns to work.

Urban said that under Inslee’s mandate, the employees are considered health care workers. The mandate has not affected any other Pullman department as of Tuesday evening, he said.

A Tuesday Associated Press report stated that more than 1,800 Washington state workers have been fired, resigned or retired rather than comply with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.

Monday was the deadline for thousands of workers in Washington to prove they’ve been fully vaccinated as a condition of their continued employment. The mandate applies to most state workers, long-term care employees, and teachers and staff at the state’s schools, including the state’s colleges and universities.