13 of B.C. city's 20 firefighters were off work on the same day due to COVID-19

Officials in a B.C. city are trying to reassure the public that they'll be safe in the event of a fire the day after 65 per cent of its team of firefighters was off work due to COVID-19.

Thirteen of Prince Rupert's 20 firefighters had to take the day off either due to infection or precaution on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the city said eight of those 13 remained in isolation, but the rest have been able to come back to work. And during that time, the fire department has still been able to respond to calls, according to a post on the city's website. 

"The continuation of service is done with a day shift of four staff and a night shift of four staff, and is viable in the short term through overtime. We are very grateful to our remaining staff for picking up the slack during the shortage," city staff wrote.

And if that isn't enough, the city has a deal with the volunteer fire department in Port Edward, and could call in its members if needed. Depending on the severity of the emergency, Prince Rupert firefighters near the end of their isolation period, with mild to no symptoms, could also be called in with additional COVID-19 measures in place, the city said.

"It should be noted that this would only occur in an extreme emergency scenario."

It's a tough and "dynamic" situation, but the city said a recent decision from B.C. health officials to lower the isolation period to five days from 10 means staffing levels should increase soon.

Due to staffing, the city is requesting residents do what they can to reduce risk of fire, including ensuring the safe use of space heaters.

Prince Rupert isn't the only city with first responders left short due to the disease.

Dozens of police officers in Surrey are off work due to COVID-19, as employees have either tested positive for the disease or are waiting for their results.

The Surrey RCMP detachment said 42 of its officers are off as of Thursday. Another 12 municipal workers are impacted.

The detachment also said 15 people have already returned to duty after being sick and eight more are expected to return to work shortly. As part of a federal mandate, RCMP members are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Earlier this week, B.C.'s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry warned employers should prepare for major staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. 

Henry urged business owners to put together contingency plans so they could keep functioning if a significant number of employees call in sick.

"We need to anticipate that as many as a third of your workforce at any one time may become ill with COVID-19," Henry said Tuesday. "We need to adapt businesses so we can operate at these reduced numbers."

While she didn't announce additional COVID-19 restrictions to address the rapid spread of Omicron, Henry urged businesses to bring back their COVID-19 safety plans, which might have included measures such as capacity limits, Plexiglas barriers and regular hand-washing for staff.

"Whether you're a private company, a school, a front-line business or a health-care site, now is the time that we have to prepare," she said.

"It's not about public health orders and us telling you what to do, this is about activating all of those layers of protection available for your business, in your situation, to prevent you from having to shut down because you don't have enough people to operate."

And even though COVID-19 testing recommendations have changed in the province, front-line workers are encouraged to confirm whether they are infected if they start noticing symptoms.

"Those who have a high risk of having a more severe illness or for people who need to know whether they have COVID to be able to safely return to work … please do go and get tested," Henry said last week.

Otherwise, current recommendations suggest that those who are fully vaccinated and experiencing mild symptoms should simply self-isolate.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Andrew Weichel