Despite TCF Center Pause, Local First Responders Ready To Help

DETROIT, MI — Use of the TCF Center in Detroit as a temporary field hospital in the state's battle against the new coronavirus has been paused, but three area Eagle Scouts who have served on the front line in the battle are ready for when operations return.

Kevin Humphreys, Ken Kiley and Matt Weil are part of the Oakland County Communications Support Team, a 17-member group made up of emergency responders with specialized technical skills that have assisted at the TCF Center, handling public safety communications and securing patient information.

“The CST (Communications Support Team) stands ready to assist municipalities with emergency communications and technology support for incidents or events where local infrastructure is at risk of becoming overwhelmed," Weil said. "We were honored to respond when our team was called to assist at the COVID-19 alternate care facility at the TCF Center in Detroit, Michigan."

The TCF Center, which was formerly the Cobo Center, was designated by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a temporary alternate care facility in Detroit during the coronavirus pandemic as the state prepared for potentially dire situations resulting from the virus. The facility began receiving patients on April 10.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said this week that the facility's use as an alternate care facility had been paused after the last coronavirus patient at the facility had been moved out of the facility. Originally with space to up to 1,000 patients, the facility never encroached on that number.

Despite the low number of patients at the facility, there remained an abundance of information and resources. The CST helped with many of the logistical needs at the center, and remain set to return if it opens again.

"The CST will remain on site as long as necessary and work with administrators to ensure the goals and objectives of the mission are achieved," Kiley said.

All three Eagle Scouts have backgrounds as first responders. Weil, an Eagle Scout from Troop 189 in Clarkston, serves as the assistant fire chief of the North Oakland County Fire Authority. Kiley, an Eagle Scout from Troop 1705 in Troy, serves as director of support services for the Oakland University Police Department. Humphreys, an Eagle Scout from Troop 219 in Fenton, serves as a shift leader with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Operations Center.

The CST has previously worked at other high profile areas and events in the Detroit area, including the Woodward Dream Cruise, playoff games with the Detroit Red Wings, Ford Fireworks in Detroit and the 2011 National Republican Presidential Candidate Debate.