Beverly Hills Firefighter Refuses to Comply With Vaccine Mandate for Religious Reasons, Relieved of Duty Without Pay

'We went from heroes to zeros'

Josh Sattley, who served as a firefighter and paramedic for the City of Beverly Hills for 11 years, was relieved of duty without pay because he refused to comply with a vaccine mandate. Photo courtesy of Josh Sattley

For 11 years, including during the initial days of the COVID-19 outbreak, Josh Sattley served the community of Beverly Hills as a Firefighter and Paramedic. Now, because he refused to comply with a vaccine mandate for religious reasons, Sattley has been relieved of duty without pay.

The Health Care Worker Vaccine Requirement Order (pdf) took effect as of 11:59 pm on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, and applies to (among many others) “emergency medical technicians (EMTs), EMT—paramedics” and “prehospital care personnel.” Employees were told they “must have received either their single dose of a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine regimen or their second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine regime by September 30, 2021.”