The proposal, which evenly divided the council members present Monday night, would not solve a staffing problem that dates back several years and is not driven primarily by the two dozen workers who did not get their shots, said Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer. Spokane City Council President Breean Beggs, who did not vote Monday night, said he wouldn't support the request because he believes the city made the right call in interpreting Gov. Jay Inslee's vaccine mandate to include firefighters responding to medical calls. That decision is also being challenged in federal court, Beggs noted, in a case that's scheduled to go to trial in October.