It’s been months in the making but Oct 18 officially marks the start of Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for thousands of state workers. Both King County and the City of Seattle adopted the mandate. Workers who fall under the mandate have been told they will lose their jobs if they don’t get the shot or get approved for an exemption. A spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) said the organization does expect to lose some members and firefighters over the vaccine mandate. “We fully expect that we will see some departures of personnel as a result of the mandate and are considering various options for how we can adjust our response model through this transition,” said Kristin Tinsley, a spokesperson for SFD.