Appeals court rules against Snohomish Co. firefighters who refused vaccine

EVERETT — A federal appellate court ruled in favor of Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue on Tuesday in the case of eight firefighters, who were placed on unpaid leave by their department in 2021 when they refused to get a COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds.

This decision upholds a lower court ruling that denies back pay, accrued vacation days and other benefits lost while on leave to the workers named in the lawsuit.

The four-year case stems from a decision in 2021 when Snohomish Fire & Rescue placed 11 firefighters on unpaid leave for not complying with Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Eight firefighters — David Petersen, Beau Watson, Jay Stickney, Evan Merritt, Kevin Gleason, Riley Korf, Norm Alan Peterson II and Ryan Stupey — filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in November 2022. Each obtained a religious exemption to the state mandate requiring vaccination for health care workers. But Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue, known in court documents as SRFR, placed them on indefinite unpaid leave, citing safety concerns.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/appeals-court-rules-against-snohomish-firefighters-who-refused-vaccine/