First responders across Wisconsin and nationwide continue to adapt to the ebb and flow of COVID-19 cases.
Nearly two years into the pandemic, frontline workers still deal with daily exposure to the virus and staffing shortages.
The Racine Fire Department is no exception. Assistant Chief Brian Wolf said December and January were particularly challenging months, as omicron rapidly spread through Wisconsin. He recalled many days being down at least eight first responders per shift.
“Anytime we drop below 31, we’re short,” he said. “We had to bring people in on overtime shifts just to staff the stations appropriately, so we did get hit hard.”
Station 1 is now back to full staff, but the possibility of another wave of COVID cases is never far from Wolf’s mind. His team also answered twice as many calls as they normally would during the height of omicron.