A firefighter’s union in Miami-Dade County has secured rapid testing for its members amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic with the information being used for a study by the University of Miami.
Hialeah Firefighters Local Union 1102 will provide the testing for its members on Thursday, following up by giving the results for an epidemiological study being done by the school.
Fire Department Chief David Rodriguez will be among the members being tested Thursday.
The testing will help identify if the virus is in any members using a finger prick system. Testing, however, will not be able to identify if a person is contagious and any positive results will be followed up by further tests at one of the sites in the city.
First responders have been in the spotlight during the battle against the coronavirus, with various agencies across South Florida providing materials to keep workers safe.
Earlier in April, 20 members of the Broward Sheriff’s Office that included members of the Fire Rescue unit tested positive for the virus.
