Duluth Fire Dept. cancels pinning ceremony due to rising COVID cases

In light of rising COVID-19 cases, the Duluth Fire Department canceled a pinning ceremony that had been scheduled for August 31.

The ceremony gives the department a chance to celebrate new hires, promotions, and lifesaving awards.

"Unfortunately as we looked at the community spread, the COVID numbers going up right now, we felt that it wouldn’t be responsible for us to host an event like this with peoples’ families and children who aren’t eligible to get a vaccine at this point in time because they’re too young. Just bringing kind of a large group together, we just felt like it wasn’t the right thing to do at this time,” Fire Chief Shawn Krizaj said.

Krizaj hopes they can reschedule for later this year.