Uniformed LA Fire Captain Railing Against Vaccine Mandates Sparks Investigation

A captain with the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is potentially in hot water for a video shared online in which he decried the department's impending vaccine mandate, KTLA reports.

Effective October 18, the department will require employees to be fully vaccinated or submit to twice-weekly testing for COVID-19. In the video, since deleted and reposted to YouTube, Captain Christian Granucci calls the department's plans "total tyranny" and said that he and his peers are "done being silent on this matter."

The reposted video, titled "Vaccine tyranny: Done being silent," was uploaded to YouTube on Monday and as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday had over 35,000 views. In it, Granucci, a 31-year member of the department, also threatens legal action against the city should the mandate be enforced.

"We will take the fight to you, the city of Los Angeles," he said in the video.

In response to this video, Granucci might face discipline from the department in the near future. While the LAFD has said that employees are entitled to their opinions, the fact that Granucci made his comments while in uniform could potentially give the impression that he was speaking for the department itself. Once made aware of the video, department officials began an investigation of the situation to determine if disciplinary actions will be necessary.

"While we respect the individual's right to his opinion, he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the Department," the LAFD said in a statement. "The individual is in uniform and appears to be on duty, thereby giving the impression that he is speaking in an official capacity."

A little over 50 percent of Los Angeles's fire department personnel have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Los Angeles Times. More broadly, roughly 54 percent of all the city's sworn personnel are fully vaccinated.

Fellow LAFD captain and president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 union, Freddy Escobar, said that while he fully encourages personnel to get vaccinated, he opposes any policies that would make continued employment contingent on vaccination. He also expressed concern for potential staffing shortages should some employees opt to leave rather than get the jab.

"We are in discussions with the City because our highly skilled and experienced LAFD Firefighters and Paramedics cannot be easily replaced—especially in a department that is already understaffed," Escobar said in a statement to KTLA. "The unexpected departure of even a small percentage of our workforce would have a devastating impact on public safety in Los Angeles."