Lyon fire station selected as COVID-19 testing, vaccination site for Oakland County – Hometown Life
Lyon Township Fire Station #2 has been named a COVID-19 testing and vaccination site.
The township board unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with Oakland County allowing use of the fire station by county health staff to give tests and vaccines through December 2021. COVID-19 tests are expected to be administered inside the station this month.
Lyon Chief Ken Van Sparrentak explained to the board he was contacted by the county’s homeland security three weeks ago as they searched for a southwest site to offer testing and was asked if Lyon could accommodate them.
“Since it’s such a great public benefit, we will open the fire station by appointment,” he said. “They bring the equipment, we provide plenty of parking… It may go for up to six months (of testing) and they may switch to vaccinations… I think it’s a good thing.”
Supervisor John Dolan agreed, noting it was a free service for residents who right now would likely go to Pontiac, one of a few other COVID-19 testing sites in the county, along with Rochester, Holly, and Farmington Hills.
Each site will have designated days for testing; Lyon’s chosen day will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays.
Oakland County Chief of Emergency Management Rob Seeley said the county hopes to start testing at Lyon Fire Station #2, 56675 Ten Mile Road, on Dec. 18.
The COVID-19 tests will be available to all adults 18 and older, and to children 4-17 who are showing symptoms, but appointments are required and can’t be made the same day.
Lyon is the fifth and possibly the last COVID-19 testing site in the county, but may be followed by more vaccination sites.
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Seeley was not ready to hazard a guess on when vaccinations could be administered at the Lyon Fire Station or the other sites in the county, noting that the first round of vaccinations to the state is anticipated for Dec. 20, but those are earmarked for healthcare workers, followed by citizens in long-term care facilities and first responders.
Currently, the county is administering about 3,200 COVID-19 tests per week between the other sites currently operating. The addition of Lyon Township as a testing site will bring the county to about 4,000 tests per week, Seeley anticipates.
Seeley reached out to other fire chiefs in the area, including in Novi, Milford and Commerce Township, with possible interest in their sites, but said some had difficulty fitting the testing into their operational picture. The county had set criteria that need to be met, including indoor drive-thru capabilities and at least 15 parking spaces available for county health staff.
Residents getting tested or vaccinated for COVID-19 will not be leaving their vehicles, but driving through the Lyon fire station’s garage bay, which will shelter healthcare workers from weather.
The number of vaccinations administered will far exceed tests, and two shots are scheduled for full immunization. Days per week may be expanded when vaccinations are available based on operational capacity of the fire station.
Seeley said he would be in line to get one as soon as it was available to him.
“I hope people listen to scientists and the county health department, and not blogs and YouTube and FaceTime that are not in favor or conspiracy theories and make good decisions when it comes to the vaccine. Do the vaccination. Please. The health department would not allow it to be given if it wasn’t safe. Trust the doctors and the science.”
To schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 test at an available county site, call 800-848-5533.
Contact reporter Susan Bromley at sbromley@hometownlife.com or 517-281-2412. Follow her on Twitter @SusanBromley10.
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