Valley EMS workers receive COVID-19 vaccinations

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's the strongest defense for first responders.

On Tuesday, it was the turn of workers at American Ambulance to receive COVID-19 vaccinations at the Fresno County Fairgrounds.

American Ambulance answers more than 400 calls a day in Fresno and Kings Counties and the vaccination can minimize the risk they take every day.

"Every day we are transporting patients that have COVID and every day our staff puts themselves at risk, so recognizing the importance of that first responder and that frontline healthcare professional was really important to us," said American Ambulance Director of Field Operations Edgar Escobedo.

Health officials say so far, they've been able to vaccinate more than 1,000 frontline health care workers in the first tier, and Tuesday 120 EMS workers.

"This is a big deal to see this happening because it really brings hope to the system, to healthcare and also to the EMS system, those workers that are out there on the front line, that there's something now, there's a change," said Fresno County's emergency medical services director Dan Lynch.

Next in line are California's 3.4 million food and agriculture workers...

"From a public health point of view -beyond benevolence, it is a rational thing to secure our food supply and to control the outbreaks that are happening in these disproportionately vulnerable communities," said United Farm Workers Director of Alternative Organizing Elizabeth Strater.