It’s coming in on time and under budget, but most importantly the Superior North EMS’s new Junot Street South headquarters could help save lives.
“The facility is a central location for paramedics and for EMS. We’ve brought a disparate organization together with all the paramedic elements, the frontline elements, the support elements and the administration and management elements,” said Superior North EMS CEO Norm Gale on Thursday afternoon, construction crews and moving trucks bustling around the 35,000 square foot facility, that is expected to come in at slightly less than $11 million.
“So that will bring efficiencies in itself. It also fills a gap that we have in Thunder Bay with EMS response to 911 calls in Thunder Bay North. There’s a hole, we know, and this addresses that.”
The bottom line is improved services to the city’s residents, and also in the district, Gale added.
“Having paramedics closer to the calls when the calls come in is how we’ll cut times,” he said. “One of our problems is that the stations (were) not in the right location and we’re trying to address that now.”
The garage was built to house 20 EMS vehicles, enough to hold the organization’s entire fleet, a first for Superior North EMS.
“This means the vehicles will be protected, but so will the diagnostic and sensitive medical equipment that are inside the ambulances,” Gale said.
“There will be a central warehouse that will bring efficiencies for the city as well, especially through pandemic supplies and planning. There are training facilities, up-to-date and modern so that our paramedics can refine their skills and learn new skills.”
The building has been constructed to Leed gold standard, with environmental and energy efficiency traits built in, Gale said.
“It’s a building that we project and plan will last for 50 years, so the taxpayer will see a dividend on the energy efficiencies in the building.”
Administration staff will be the first to move in, starting on Monday, with paramedics to follow later in the week.
Gale said he doesn’t anticipate many hurdles or challenges during the move.
“The paramedics will migrate from their stations later next week. We have to nail that down still. Equipment and vehicles will move in over the coming days.
“We are avoiding hiccups because the vast majority of the move is going to be done over the weekend. So we’re basically shutting down administration early Friday afternoon,” Gale said.
The public shouldn’t notice any interruption on the paramedic side of the business.
“There will be no challenges. The process of moving paramedics from one station to another is simple. The day of the move they’ll start the day at the old base. They’ll go out and do calls and they’ll finish the day at the new base. There will be no impact on 911 response.”
Red River Coun. Brian McKinnon, who fought for the final location, arguing against putting the station next to the fire hall further north on Junot Street, called the right decision.
“This whole neighbourhood has won. The park is being developed into a really nice neighbourhood park, so everybody’s won,” McKinnon said.
