Construction to start on paramedic headquarters

WATERLOO — Construction is slated to begin next week on a new paramedic services headquarters in northwest Waterloo.

A ground breaking ceremony was held Tuesday morning on the site of the new building on Erbs Road, which is expected to open in November 2019.

“We’re just out of space,” said Stephen Van Valkenburg, chief of Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services. “This facility will take us well into the future.”

The total cost of the building, including the construction fees, outfitting the space and taxes, is expected to be just over $21 million.

The building is located on regionally-owned land beside the emergency services training and research centre, near the landfill.

The new space will be 48,500 square feet, which is more than double the size of the service’s current 23,000 square-foot headquarters on Maple Grove Road in Kitchener.

“We’re bursting at the seams there,” Van Valkenburg said.

Administration, training, support staff, and half of the ambulance fleet will move into the new facility, as recommended in the 2017 paramedic service master plan.

When it’s opened, ambulance crews will be deployed into the community from the two facilities.

A big benefit of the new space may be decreased overtime for paramedics to get back to their base, especially with off-load delays when hospital emergency rooms are busy.

The new building will be efficient and environmentally friendly.

There will be a room overlooking the countryside for staff to relax after a hectic shift and there is a walking trail in a naturalized area.

“There was a real focus for staff wellness,” Van Valkenburg said.