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An FDNY union leader wants the department to investigate whether three recent firefighter deaths resulted from city-mandated COVID-19 jabs.
The request from Uniformed Fire Officers Association President James McCarthy comes after the line-of-duty deaths of Lt. Joseph Maiello, 53, who was found dead in a Staten Island firehouse after a Christmas shift, and Firefighter Jesse Gerhard, 33, who died at his firehouse in Far Rockaway, Queens, after a medical episode Wednesday.
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McCarthy wants the FDNY to include in its vaccine probe the death of Probationary Firefighter Vincent Malveaux, 31, who died Dec. 2 at the FDNY Training Academy on Randalls Island after suffering a medical episode believed to be a seizure.
“That’s a significant amount of people in a very short time,” said McCarthy. “The vaccine is a concern with our members because it is something new that is being put into our bodies. It could be a factor.”
The FDNY safety command investigates line-of-duty firefighter deaths. The deaths of Maiello, Gerhard and Malveaux are still being investigated, officials said.
The department will work with the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and other unions to determine if there is any link between the members’ deaths and the jab, an FDNY spokesman said.
“The health and safety of FDNY members is paramount,” the spokesman said.
Two of the three widely used COVID vaccines in the U.S. — made by Pfizer and Moderna — have received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains COVID vaccines are safe and do not contain any harmful ingredients.
The union’s request for a probe comes after nearly 1,500 city workers — including 25 Fire Department employees — lost their jobs last week after failing to comply with a citywide vaccine mandate.
