Fla. Fire Rescue Paramedics to Test Patients for COVID-19 in Homes

Sun Sentinel

Thanks to a donation, the Delray Beach Fire Rescue will test residents who can’t reach a COVID-19 testing site.

After receiving nearly $9,000 in donations from individuals in the community, the department purchased 150 testing kits from the Delray Medical Center. Firefighters and paramedics will conduct visits for home-bound seniors and other residents unable to get to local testing sites.

In partnership with the City of Delray Beach, the fire department will coordinate processing the tests and is working with Palm Beach County’s Division of Emergency Management to conduct tests of residents on the county’s special needs registry.

“We know that coronavirus testing is an important step to making sure Delray Beach residents stay healthy, and we don’t want anyone in our city to feel that they can’t be tested simply because they don’t have the means or the physical ability to get to a testing site,” Fire Rescue Chief Keith Tomey said in a news release.

Harvey and Virginia Kimmel along with the Delray Beach Firefighters Benevolent Fund were the lead donors.

For information about home tests, residents should contact the Delray Beach Coronavirus Hotline at 561-243-7777. For additional information on the Delray Beach Fire Rescue, visit delraybeachfl.gov/government/city-departments/fire-rescue.