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PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - Some South Florida first responders are saying they have been having problems getting tested for the coronavirus, while others have had to wait a long time for their results to come back.
At drive-thru testing sites, such as the one at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, first responders with symptoms are supposed to be given priority. However, some paramedics, firefighters and law enforcement officers have said it is not easy to get tested for the virus.
Jason Smith represents the men and women of Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, who are on the front lines of the pandemic.
“It’s been keeping us busy on a daily basis,” he said.
Smith said when a Broward County firefighter develops COVID-19 systems while on shift, they have had no problem getting tested right away at a state-run South Florida testing site. However, when firefighters develop symptoms off-duty and at home, some struggle to be swabbed and tested at the sites.
“They basically are not sometimes able to get a test for one to two to three days,” Smith said.
That delay in testing poses a problem when the first responder is scheduled to be back on shift in a day or two.
Smith added that some firefighters got the test, but they were never given their results.
“We’ve had, at times, the test kits lost, and then, they have to go back in the system, and they can’t find it,” Smith said.
Jeff Bell is the president of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Union. He said two deputies have complained about test issues to him, and one of them had trouble getting a test appointment.
“They tried to schedule an appointment, and they were booked solid with appointments, even for first responders,” Bell said.
In Miami-Dade County, union representatives said their first responders who needed to be tested have been tested for the virus, but some said there is a problem in how long it takes to get the results back.
Firefighters can wait up to four to seven days for their results.
John O’Brien, who represents firefighters in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, said for those days, first responders need to self-isolate, even if their results end up coming back negative.
“At a time when we cannot afford anything less than an all hands on deck approach,” he said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been able to order rapid COVID-19 test kits that deliver results as fast as 45 minutes. Those are the type of test kits ideal for first responders, but so far, the state has only been able to secure around 2,000 of them.
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