With 130 firefighters home sick with COVID-19, the Fort Worth fire department is juggling to keep stations staffed and requiring some employees to work mandatory overtime.
About 10 firefighters are testing positive for the virus every day, a number that's skyrocketed in just the past few weeks, spokesman Mike Drivdahl said.
The firefighters who are being quarantined make up about 14% of the department.
But Drivdahl said services are not impacted.
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"At no point has the service of 911 been delayed,” he said. “All our fire trucks are being fully staffed."
At the ambulance service Medstar, about 21 medics are out.
That's about 3% of its workforce.
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"The community should not be worried,” spokesman Matt Zavansky said. “We have great folks picking up the extra shifts, working longer hours. However, long-term, this could be an issue if this surge continues."
Those who are working are busy.
Medstar is now responding to about 150 COVID calls a day.
Meanwhile, at the police department, 44 officers are home sick, adding to a shortage overall.
"Right now we're over 70 officers short,” Officer Jimmy Pollozani said. “Plus the number of officers we have out with COVID, it's a big number to have, especially for a department our size."
The department is reassigning officers from special assignments to patrol for a month at a time.
The big unknown -- when the surge will peak.
"I think we're still on the increase and I think we'll see the numbers increasing through the winter season,” Pollozani said.
