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While fire departments throughout the Puget Sound region are gradually re-hiring first responders who were let go from their jobs over religious or medical objections to the state鈥檚 COVID vaccination requirements, is refusing to budge.

For veteran 鈥� and now former 鈥� firefighters like Frank Dahlquist, the impasse makes no sense.

鈥淎 bunch of departments have decided they are rehiring the guys that were fired,鈥� Dahlquist confirmed to The Dori Monson Show. 鈥淭hey saw the mandate coming to an end and there was no point in further discriminating against these members and they鈥檙e welcoming these members back with open arms at a time when every agency is hiring.鈥�

Dahlquist, who would like to get his job back, said Eastside Fire and Rescue has 28 openings 鈥測et they won鈥檛 allow us to come back.鈥�

As many as 200 firefighters across the region were released by various departments when they refused to get the state mandated COVID vaccine. Some departments released first responders because they could not give them accommodations to stay on the job.

With current staffing stretched thin, asked Dori, what is that costing Eastside Fire and Rescue taxpayers?

鈥淥vertime budgets are running near $300,000 a month,” according to Dahlquist,

鈥淚t鈥檚 unsustainable,鈥� he told Dori. Taxpayers in 鈥淚ssaquah, Sammamish, North Bend, Carnation, the two fire districts 10 and 38 鈥� they鈥檙e footing the bill for this.鈥� The district also includes Preston and Woodinville 鈥� 15 fire stations total.

With emergency response staffing working so much overtime, Dahlquist added, 鈥渕orale is at an all-time low 鈥� 3 out of 10 in our agency.鈥�

But when other departments are re-hiring, Dori probed, why not Eastside Fire and Rescue?

These decisions are made department by department, and chief by chief, Dahlquist said. Some of Dori鈥檚 sources have indicated that the holdout is coming from King County Executive Dow Constantine鈥檚 office.

鈥淲e鈥檝e heard the same thing,鈥� Dahlquist said, adding that there are public records requests in the works that link leaders at the fire agencies to Constantine and to the governor鈥檚 office.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so destructive,鈥� Dahlquist said. 鈥淲e look at this as not just a job, but a calling. At any given moment, we would risk our lives for someone else鈥檚. It chokes me up just thinking about the 191 years of experience that were lost at Eastside when we were purged.鈥�

The discharged firefighters are seeking support from the public and plan to attend an Oct. 13 fire district board meeting to rally for their former jobs. Dahlquist says the discharged firefighters refuse to give up.

鈥淭hese are people who just want to come back to work.鈥�