Neepawa EMS facility key for paramedics
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/04/2010 (5880 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
NEEPAWA — It has only been days since the doors swung open, but so far, every day on the job has been a happy one for Neepawa Emergency Medical Services level two paramedic Mike Kotak.
Previously, staff operated out of a cramped room in the hospital with their ambulances either parked in the hospital parking lot or in a garage during the winter.
Yesterday, the team celebrated the grand opening of the new state-of-the-art facility that not only has room for two ambulances, but training space as well.
"Being in one spot with our ambulances will for sure help (streamline operations)," Kotak told the Sun. "Now (the ambulances are) out of the elements. They can stay the proper temperature and all of our training equipment and supplies are here, so it will all be more efficient."
The 2,500-square-foot, two-bay facility, which is located one block north of Highway 16 beside Country Meadows Personal Care Home, has also been a boost for employee morale, Kotak said.
"Every paramedic wants to have their own ambulance station and now we have it," he said. "It’s our house now … We don’t want to be the envy, but we’re definitely proud of this building."
Neepawa has one of the busiest stations in the region, and the new facility will provide the best possible service to its residents, Health Minister Theresa Oswald said during the official ribbon cutting Tuesday.
"So many of us pay attention to what goes on in a hospital … but the pre-hospital care can often be the care that’s the difference between life and death," she said. "Having a hub where this care can be provided … is only going to improve that care, which is so important to all of our families."
Neepawa Mayor Bob Durston says seeing the staff smiling made the long-awaited opening well worth the wait.
"We know the stress that our EMS personnel have been operating under for the last few years as this was in the process of being built," he said.
"We’re really proud to be able to provide them with this facility that will not only allow them to better serve the public, but also give them a comfortable work environment to work and grow in."
The facility is a certified PowerSmart building that features geothermal heat. Construction of the $880,000 facility began last fall and wrapped up earlier this month.