Firefighters boost York’s Covid vaccination effort: ‘Their devotion is off the scale’

A group of volunteers from the fire service are making a big difference to York’s Covid vaccination programme.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service approached Nimbuscare – which runs the York Vaccination Centre at Askham Bar – to say that they had employees who were willing to help with the Covid effort.

Nimbuscare’s Chief executive officer, Madeline Ruff, said: “We now have six full-time members of the fire service working at the Yorkshire Vaccination Centre and we’re hugely appreciative of their fantastic contribution.

“They are working alongside our vaccinators, doing vital work, dealing with the public and, in doing so, boosting patient relations. It’s a wonderful team effort.”

Since mid-February, six of fire service employees have been working in administrative roles, sitting in the vaccination pods alongside clinicians/vaccinators and inputting patient information.

Gemma Wensley, programme manager at the vaccination site, said: “We love having the fire service team here. Their presence is reassuring to patients, who associate the organisation with safety and caring, and their devotion is off the scale.”

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Jonathan Foster, who was given a tour of the vaccination site last week, said: “I was hugely impressed with my visit to the Vaccination Centre site.

“The set-up and organisation is second to none, so a big well done to our colleagues in the NHS, other agencies and the many volunteers who have been responsible for setting it up, along with countless others throughout the country.

“I’m pleased that we’ve been able to play a small part by having some fire service staff seconded into the centre to help.”