Emergency responders are better prepared than ever in Bradford.
Paramedics were joined by staff and councillors from the town and county for the grand opening ceremony of the County of Simcoe’s new paramedic station at 480 Miller Park Ave. in Bradford on Wednesday, May 22.
“Today marks an exciting milestone for our county, our dedicated paramedics and the residents and visitors that we serve,” said county health and emergency services general manager Jane Sinclair, who led the ceremony. “This new station is yet another testament to our ongoing dedication to bolstering health care and building up our communities.”
Sinclair explained the process of looking for a location for a new station to replace the old site at 170 Artesian Industrial Pky. began in 2014, and after investigating “many different prospects and an incredible amount of work” as well as with the with the help of town staff, the new location was selected and rezoned for the new station.
The new station is about 576 square metres (6,200 square feet) with five bays allowing local paramedics to operate both a 24-hour and a 12-hour ambulance while still leaving room for additional vehicles, in which paramedics should be able to leave or enter the station more quickly thanks to pneumatically actuated bay doors, according to Sarah Mills, director and chief of paramedic services.
“We’re excited for growth in general for the county and we’re really excited to be able to better serve this community and have that better response time,” Mills said, noting that the new station is more centrally located and closer to some of the more densely populated areas.
While the number of ambulances and paramedics regularly available at the station remains two and eight respectively, Mills said the increased footprint will make it easier for the service to grow with the community in future, which could potentially include a para-medicine program working in partnership with local health teams here in Bradford, but there’s no timeline for that as of yet.
In the meantime, the new station was already making it easier for residents to access paramedics, as Mills said someone had actually stopped in prior to the grand opening to ask for help.
“That kind of high profile is what we’re looking for. They know we’re here, they know to call 911, they know where help is when they need it,” she said.
Mayor James Leduc said the new station is “absolutely excellent,” and “means everything” to the community, which is set to grow to about 85,000 residents by 2051. He expects having the station in “the best possible location,” will improve response times while also fulfulling a goal of the town’s community and traffic safety advisory committee to bring more health-care opportunities to residents.
“I’m just so grateful to the county and to staff for working together hard. Jane Sinclair’s vision of bringing this to fruition is wonderful. It took a long time, but we got it done and I’m so pleased,” he said.
As Leduc is also a county councillor and chair of the county’s human services committee, he understands the effort the county is making outside of Bradford as well.
Deputy Warden and Springwater Township Mayor Jennifer Coughlin explained the county provides paramedic services to more than 530,000 residents across 18 municipalities, responding to more than 87,000 calls per year, with an average of 240 calls per day.
“As our communities continue to grow and more visitors come to enjoy everything our region has to offer, county council is committed to ensure that the crucial emergency and medical care is available wherever and whenever it’s needed,” she said. “Our paramedics are in the business of saving lives, and our goal as municipal leaders is to give them access to the training tools and facilities they need to get that job done.”
The ceremony concluded with the County of Simcoe Paramedic Honour Guard leading a parade to a flag raising in front of the new station.
Construction of the station was initially budgeted at $3.75 million when it was green lit by county council in June 2022, but even then it was expected that inflation could cause the cost to rise by $828,000 to $1.7 million and during the grand opening Collin Matanowitsch, manager of public relations for the county, confirmed the final cost was about $5.8 million.
For more information about the county’s paramedic services, visit simcoe.ca/residents/paramedic-services.
— With files from Rob Paul
