Jimmy Patronis meets with firefighting leaders about statewide COVID-19 response

Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis met with the executive boards of the Florida Fire Chiefs Association and the Florida Professional Firefighters on Wednesday to receive a statewide update on the COVID-19 response efforts, particularly as they relate to a professional industry particularly vulnerable to the threat.

“Today, I heard from firefighters from across the state on their ongoing response and recovery efforts related to COVID-19,” Patronis said. “My office continues working with fire chiefs to capture and monitor vital data on the impacts of the virus to their workforce, as the threat of exposure can take fire personnel off-line for extended periods of time.”

As of the latest update, the state reported 2,472 new cases Tuesday, raising the total number of cases to 82,719.

Additionally, Florida recorded ten more deaths. The total death toll is now 3,110 deaths including 3,018 Floridians.

“With nearly 380 firefighters statewide taken off the frontlines due to the threat of COVID-19, this data is crucial to our fire departments who work to support each other and protect our communities,” Patronis said. “I cannot thank these brave men and women enough for their tireless efforts to keep us safe as we work together to safely reopen our state.”

Despite the uptick in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday the state is not “rolling back” its effort to reopen.

“We’re not shutting down. We’re going to go forward,” DeSantis said. “We’re going to continue to protect the most vulnerable. We’re going to urge, continue to advise particularly our elderly population, to maintain social distancing, avoid crowds.”

DeSantis argued the uptick is attributable to increased testing, a claim positive test rates contradict.