After the mandate was announced in August 2021, nearly a quarter of the agency’s 192 firefighters requested exemptions.
SEATTLE — A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling against Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue employees who sued over Washington’s 2021 COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
In a decision released Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court’s finding that the agency could not reasonably accommodate eight firefighters who sought religious exemptions without creating an undue hardship during the pandemic.
The firefighters alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Washington’s anti-discrimination law after Snohomish Fire required vaccination under then-Gov. Jay Inslee’s emergency proclamation.
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