The Norwell Fire Department has been organizing drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine clinics for residents.
Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Jeff Simpson says they’re prepared to host additional clinics, but they’ve been left without a voice in the state’s vaccination rollout plan.
Current vaccine supplies are limited, and the state is favoring a model focused on mass-vaccination sites.
“This is something that emergency management has been dealing with forever. We can make it efficient, we can make it run better than anybody else. We just have been left on the sidelines this time around,” said Simpson. “It’s unfortunate, it’s unfortunate for our residents, because all we care about is getting them the vaccine and doing what’s right for them.”
Unable to secure vaccines, the town reached out to numerous health care facilities, and South Shore Health worked with the town to inoculate Norwell’s most vulnerable residents. The Norwell Housing Authority had 60 doses left over for the clinic. The town worked with the Council on Aging to develop a list of residents.
Simpson says the town has more than 3,000 people in current age groups.
At the Central Fire Station, 200 residents received a second Pfizer dose after a February clinic. A second clinic was held for first doses of the Moderna vaccine yesterday.
“We just felt it was a lot more efficient to have them come here. Those people that have a difficult time getting out and about, we completely understand,” said Simpson. “We wanted to make their lives a little bit easier. We think they deserve that. That’s why we’ve done everything that we can do to secure the vaccine.”
The third clinic this week was held without issue. Residents drove up, received a dose, and were monitored for 15 minutes. The Police and Fire Departments worked with the town’s Emergency Management members to make sure the clinics were a smooth operation.
Simpson credits the firefighters union (Local 2700) for being able to adapt to the ongoing pandemic.
“If you give us a challenge, we are going to figure it out,” said Treasurer Jack Cushing.
“We strive for the challenges, which is a big part of why a lot of us get into this — it’s helping people. Every day is a different day, especially with this,” said Cushing, a firefighter/paramedic. “I will say, cooler heads prevailed. We all work together a little bit better now, just because we have to. We want to make sure our residents are taken care of.”
With increased vaccine production, Simpson and Cushing are hoping the focus shifts back to the local level for vaccine distribution.
“I know for my in-laws, it was a nightmare trying to get them vaccinations,” said Cushing. “They had to travel an hour away to get it. Where you could go ten minutes from your house to a drive-thru clinic. You don’t even have to get out of your car.”
Simpson says the fire service has changed drastically in recent decades. In the 50’s, it was just dousing blazes. Now their services include fire prevention, EMS, and emergency management.
“We have plans to bring the vaccine to [residents]. Right now, it’s difficult to do that, because there’s stringent rules that we have to abide by,” said Simpson. “Our people can go into your house if you’re sick, injured, or dying and basically bring the emergency room with them. They can bring the cardiac monitor, they can do an EKG, they can intubate you – but right now, they can’t go into your house and give you a simple vaccine dose.”
Currently the state is receiving 150,000 doses per week. Simpson says it’s a touch-and-go operation – they don’t know when the next supply will arrive.
Standing near the apron to the Central Fire Station, Simpson looked over at vehicles arriving in front of the fire station for vaccine doses.
“This isn’t rocket science. This is simple stuff. From the emergency management perspective, we deal with lots of people. We deal with big problems, whether you’re a small town or a big city, emergency management can deal with this stuff,” said Simpson. “We’ve been dealing with it for a long time. Right now, we’re not being given the chance to deal with it.”
The vaccines were administered in the apparatus bay of the Norwell Central Fire Station. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Members of the Norwell Emergency Management team kept watch after residents received vaccine doses. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
