Firefighter Forced to Retire After Being Injured by Mandated COVID Vaccine Speaks Out at ‘Vaccine Rights’ Rally

By Matt Connor

Hundreds of passionate medical freedom advocates rallied last week along the North Concourse of Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York, in a powerful show of unity and momentum.

Representing Bravest for Choice, O’Brian Pastrana took the stage alongside a dynamic lineup of leaders who have been at the forefront of this movement.

We heard from the voices we’ve come to know and stand with over the past several years: Mary Holland, Naomi Wolf, Mark Gorton, Jimmy Wagner, John Gilmore, Michael Kane, Tramell Thompson, Katya Plyshevsky, Sujata Gibson and Bobbie Anne Cox, among others.

Children’s Health Defense (CHD) livestreamed O’Brian’s powerful testimony (@57:27). O’Brian shared that becoming a firefighter was the proudest moment of his life. But when the COVID-19 vaccine mandate was announced, he had serious concerns about the shot.

He described the intense psychological pressure many New York City Fire Department (FDNY) members experienced during the nine-day window between the mandate announcement and the compliance deadline.

O’Brian said that he and several co-workers felt backed into a corner, torn between personal beliefs, medical freedom and the responsibility to provide for their families.

Under that pressure, O’Brian reluctantly received his first dose, only to suffer a severe adverse reaction that sent him to the emergency room. When he reported the event to the FDNY Bureau of Health Services, he was told he still needed to take the second

dose, or face leave without pay and possible termination.

Coerced a second time into a medical intervention he did not want, O’Brian developed myocarditis and a cascade of related health issues, leaving him permanently disabled and medically unfit for duty.

The FDNY forced O’Brian into retirement and denied him the enhanced line-of-duty disability pension, which is typically three-quarters of a firefighter’s salary. Instead, he received a reduced, half-salary benefit that left him struggling to support his family after years of dedicated service.

Had his injury occurred during a fire or rescue, he would have qualified for the higher pension. Instead, the board claimed he assumed the risks of the COVID-19 “vaccination,” even though no FDNY member received true informed consent from a physician.

FDNY Chief Medical Officer David Prezant echoed federal claims that the vaccine was “safe and effective,” while the FDNY Bureau of Health Services enforced the mandate.

O’Brian closed by pointing to multiple firefighters who suffered sudden “medical episodes” after the vaccine rollout. “This is not normal,” he said.

COVID Justice Resolution: Sign the Resolution

As the rally transitioned to legislative outreach in the adjacent Legislative Office Building and Capitol Building, O’Brian joined other Bravest for Choice advocates who traveled to Albany, including co-founders Sophy Medina and Tommy Olsen.

Tommy and Sophy, parents to young children, had religious objections to the COVID-19 vaccines. Their reasonable accommodation requests were denied, leading to nearly a year-long leave without pay under the threat of termination.

Danny Smith, a fire officer who resisted the mandate until the last possible moment, hoping the policy would be overturned or blocked by courts, also attended the rally. Under the threat of losing his income, Danny complied and suffered bradycardia so severe that his physicians considered inserting a cardiac pacemaker.

Bravest for Choice originally formed to fight the mandate. However, after injunctive relief failed, the organization focused on supporting those harmed by it. Several FDNY members received financial support and referrals to medical practices pioneering treatments for the vaccine-injured, allowing some to return to full-duty service.

Danny led efforts to organize vaccine-injured members, conducting informal interviews and de-identified surveys to track adverse events.

Although I was not vaccine-injured myself, I faced leave without pay and was threatened with termination for refusing the EUA (emergency use authorization) vaccine while dealing with debilitating long COVID symptoms. I ultimately secured a medical exemption to return to work.

During the Albany rally, I coordinated with TWU Local 100 Vice President Tramell Thompson to meet with New York State legislators to advocate for accountability and legislative protections.

The Bravest for Choice/Progressive Action delegation spent the remainder of the “Vaccine Rights/Justice for the Vaccine Injured Advocacy Day” meeting with Assemblymembers Jaime Williams, Marianne Buttenschon, Al Taylor and Charles Fall; and Senators Siela Bynoe, Steven Rhoads and April Baskin.

The delegation focused on advocating for two companion bills:

• A3686/S7207 — compelling New York City to rehire employees fired for refusing the COVID-19 shot.
• A4993/S5910 — allowing governmental employees injured by mandated vaccines to sue the government that issued the mandate.

More than four years after the mandate’s inception, Bravest for Choice remains at an impasse with the FDNY and the labor unions that have failed to represent their members on this issue.

City bureaucracy and union leadership alike have yet to address the unresolved damage from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Experienced professionals remain out of work, as the Law Department and Office of the Mayor continue to block their return. Tragically, COVID-19 vaccine injuries among FDNY members remain unaddressed, with several firefighters last year experiencing sudden “medical episodes,” including cardiac arrests, during fire suppression operations.

This ongoing impasse underscores the critical importance of advocacy efforts like “Vaccine Rights Day” in Albany. By meeting with legislators, advocating for the passage of protective bills, and raising public awareness, Bravest for Choice continues to fight for accountability and justice.

The reckoning on COVID-19 mandates and vaccine injuries is ours to claim, but it will not come all at once. It will be won incrementally, through persistent advocacy, sharing stories like O’Brian’s, and fighting one day at a time to protect workers, hold institutions accountable, and secure justice for the injured who have served our communities.

Watch the ‘Vaccine Rights Day’ event on CHD.TV here:

Matt Connor was appointed as a firefighter to the FDNY in 2005 and promoted to the rank of lieutenant in 2020. Matt received his B.S. in human services, education, and public policy from the University of Delaware in 2004. In 2021, his nearly completed graduate study at the City University of New York was interrupted by the “Key to NYC” COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The FDNY later placed him on involuntary unpaid leave for refusing to comply. Matt became a lead organizer of the advocacy group Bravest for Choice, serving on the legal team that organized Garland v. FDNY litigation asserting due process rights in federal court, and New Yorkers For Religious Liberty v. City of New York, which garnered the support of Alliance Defending Freedom as co-counsel. He continues to represent Bravest for Choice at MAHA Institute events.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Children’s Health Defense.

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