“One person can make a change for a lot. And right now, myself and so many others are standing up, especially . . . I'm standing up more or less for my kids, because if they do this to us now, what are they going to do to my kids in the future? . . . What freedoms are they going to take away from them that myself and so many others have fought and others have died for?” - Dane Bath
In this episode of the New York Mandate Podcast, I talk with Dane Bath, who was an emergency medical technician with the New York City Fire Department for over 20 years. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and one of the responders who worked at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of 9/11, he was working as an FDNY emergency medical services dispatcher in the Bronx when the city’s vaccine mandate was rolled out.
He applied for a religious exemption as a Christian and was put on leave without pay in December 2021. His application was denied, and his employment was terminated in June 2022. On 9/11 of this year, Dane discovered that his membership in the WTC Health Program has also been suspended. The program had paid for medication to treat illnesses he acquired as a 9/11 responder.
Dane talked with me about the severe financial consequences for his family of losing his income and then being denied the ability to collect unemployment, how the pandemic affected his children, and why his family is thinking about moving down South.
He also talked about how the city has changed since 9/11, what he thinks about the public health response to the pandemic, and how losing experienced workers may affect the city.
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
‘Good Morning CHD’ Episode 128: FDNY Testimony Against Mandates Goes Viral With Captain Brendan Fogarty + Moe Olivier
Dane Bath mentioned a video of an FDNY captain whose video went viral. The video shows Captain Brendan Fogarty testifying about being fired over the vaccine mandate at a New York City Council labor oversight hearing. This Good Morning CHD episode includes both the viral video and a conversation with fired NYC teachers Michael Kane and Moe Olivier.
You can also watch Captain Fogarty and other workers testify in this video of the hearing:
The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program
The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program provides medical monitoring and treatment of WTC-related health conditions for 9/11 responders and survivors.
A Glimpse Inside of the Citywide Panel’s Black Box
This article from Teachers for Choice discusses the role of NYC’s Citywide Appeals Panel in deciding whether to accept applications for religious exemption to the vaccine mandate. It includes a PDF of a deposition of one of the panel members.
Section 75 of New York State Civil Service Law
This section of New York State’s civil service law covers removal and other disciplinary actions. This part of the law gives city workers charged with misconduct the right to a hearing before dismissal.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
Bravest for Choice
An organization supporting NYC firefighters, medics, and EMTs who have been terminated or put on leave because they have not complied with the city’s vaccine mandates. This group has been part of the anti-mandate protest movement.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for City Employees and Certain City Contractors
This is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on October 20, 2021 requiring New York City municipal employees and contractors, including teachers, to be vaccinated.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the Workplace
This is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated.
NYC Vaccination Requirement: Workplaces
This is where you can find current information on New York City’s workplace vaccination requirements.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I’ll be talking with workers who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the city introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio.
Current mayor Eric Adams continues to support the mandates, and they now extend to most working people in the city of New York. Private sector employers are required to affirm that their employees have been vaccinated, and public sector employees of city agencies have been terminated or put on unpaid leave for failing to comply with the vaccine requirement.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at NYMpodcast@protonmail.com.
New York Mandate Podcast, Ep. 21: FDNY Emergency Medical Technician Dane Bath