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COCONUT CREEK, FLA. (WSVN) - Members of the Broward Sheriff’s Office in Coconut Creek have saluted a longtime dispatcher who lost her life to the coronavirus pandemic.
The body of 41-year-old Nikima Thompson could be seen leaving Delray Beach Medical Center on Tuesday. Her American flag-draped coffin was loaded into the back of a white hearse as her family watched.
“She was loving, funny,” JoAnne Alvarez, Thompson’s friend, said. “She was a jokester. She would walk in and light up the room. She’s going to be sorely missed for sure.”
The veteran dispatcher was a mother of four but spent a majority of her days in Coconut Creek working at the North Broward Regional Communications Center.
Thompson is the second BSO employee to succumb to the virus. Deputy Shannon Bennet died due to complications from the virus on April 4.
“Nikima’s been here almost 17 years, and she has been a 911 dispatcher, communications operator for that entire time,” Alvarez said.
“On April 2, it was confirmed she had COVID-19, and her family had to make a very difficult decision, as most of her organs and things of that nature had failed,” Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said. “They had to remove her from a ventilator.”
Thompson’s coworkers and close friends gathered at her workplace for the honor transport to pay their respects. A final out of service radio call was given to say goodbye.
“Thank you for more than 16 years of dedicated service to the Broward Sheriff’s Office. You are officially 10-7 [out of service]. Until we meet again, we will take it from here,” the radio message said.
“It’s very hard,” Alvarez said. “We’re a family, and these are true first responders. Nikima was a true first responder.”
“She’s such a sweet person, good mother, big heart,” Sharon Moultry-Henderson, Thompson’s friend, said. “I’m happy I beat COVID, but also, at the same time, it hurts me to say that because my friend, she was clinging to life and fighting for her life, so it made me feel a little bad by saying ‘I survived,’ and she didn’t.”
Alvarez, meanwhile, believes first responders deserve better care. The union that represents Thompson and all communication workers sent a letter to Tony on April 24, saying the agency’s initial response to COVID-19 was “abysmal.”
“There were a lot of mistakes made,” Alvarez said. “Unfortunately, in this case, someone lost their life.”
The letter claims, because of close proximity, dispatchers cannot adhere to social distancing guidelines.
“There was no PPE equipment initially,” Alvarez said. “While they were cleaning the consoles every four hours and doing that type of cleaning, there was no deep cleaning going on.”
Alvarez claims bad decisions were made when the first COVID-19 positive case appeared inside of the building.
“We’re not testing everyone in the site to find out who was positive, who was negative,” Alvarez said. “I think that was the catalyst of why we are here today.”
All of the aforementioned issues, union officials said, contributed to the 44 positive cases within the division.
From Thompson’s Coconut Creek workplace, the hearse then traveled to Hollywood and the dispatcher’s final resting place.
Thompson’s mother has also been diagnosed with COVID-19 and is battling the virus in the hospital.
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