Location of Petoskey EMS station approved; Eppler Road site selected

 

PETOSKEY — The location for the flagship station of Emmet County’s EMS operations has been approved by the Emmet County Board of Commissioners.

On Thursday evening, Feb. 25, 2016, the Board held a special meeting to approve the purchase of an approximate 10-acre parcel on Eppler Road, south of the Sheridan Street intersection, on the road’s east side. The property is in Resort Township and near to both U.S. 31 and U.S. 131.

“It has very good access to major intersections and roads that service Emmet County and it will provide us with rapid access for emergency response in high-density run volume areas,” said Larry Hansen, Emmet County EMS Director. “We feel this is the best of the available sites in the immediate Petoskey area, and we’re looking forward to getting started building this flagship public safety building.”

The location was pinpointed after a thorough search by Jack VanTreese and Associates of Petoskey, a real estate firm commissioned by the county to find appropriate parcels to consider for EMS operations.

At the top of the list of criteria was ensuring prompt response time to ensure the highest standard of pre-hospital patient care, said Marty Krupa, Emmet County Administrator.

“Throughout this entire process, the Board, committees, staff and consultants have worked very hard at trying to identify the needs of the community as they relate to EMS operations. From the beginning, the number one priority has been how to ensure that patient care demands are met efficiently and to our best abilities,” Krupa said. “A lot of time and effort has been put into trying to determine the ultimate location for the south station, a critical location because it will serve as the main hub of our EMS operations.”

The south station, or Station #1, will be the third EMS building in the network of Emmet County EMS facilities. First to open was the Harbor Springs M-119 location (Station #2) in August of 2015. In April of this year, 2016, the Mackinaw City facility (Station #3) is expected to begin operating as construction draws to completion. Both facilities house ambulances and staff quarters.

Station #1 in Petoskey will serve multiple functions, including consolidating ambulance services with administrative and billing services, which are currently handled at the County Building. Station #1 will house ambulances and a maintenance area while providing staff quarters to accommodate 24-hour daily shifts. It will also include space for community and staff educational seminars.

“I commend the Board for having the vision to purchase a parcel of property that allows for future growth and flexibility,” Krupa said. The purchase price of the property is $200,000.

“The final piece to the Emmet County EMS plan is now in place with the Petoskey location being secured. This process, which began in 2012, has involved countless hours of hard work by so many people and it is very rewarding to see the final element to the plan coming into place,” said Larry Cassidy, Emmet County Commissioner District 2.

“The facilities and equipment that have been secured over the last 18 months will give our EMS staff the best resources to ensure our residents and visitors to Emmet County receive the absolute best pre-hospital patient care.”

Emmet County began providing emergency medical services in Emmet County and portions of neighboring Cheboygan and Charlevoix counties on Jan. 1, 2015. At that time, it was determined that three stations would best serve the residents and visitors to the Emmet County region.

“For us, this station will allow us to have a central point for running the business side of EMS and also for ambulance storage and maintenance, staff respite and community interaction. For the community, it is a big step toward organizing our emergency management and public safety services,” Hansen said. “We’re very pleased with this location and we’re looking forward to watching the building take shape in the months ahead.”

Construction on Station #1 is expected to begin as soon as possible. The facility will share design features of the two existing stations.

Emmet County Board of Commissioners Chairman James E. Tamlyn said finalization of the parcel purchase comes after an exhaustive search of available properties in Petoskey, and that the timing is exceptional to get planning and construction under way.

“Reaching this decision at this time of year is great timing that will give the architects a chance to immediately start moving on designs. Hopefully we can have a Spring start,” Tamlyn said. “It’s really a very good time of year to be moving forward on this.”

About ECEMS: ECEMS has 48 full and part-time staff including EMTs, Advanced EMTs and Paramedics. In 2015, ECEMS handled 4,400 runs. For information about the Assure membership program offered by EMS or more information about the operation, visit www.emmetcountyems.org.

 

EMS Station #3, Mackinaw City

EMS Station #2, M-119 and Pleasantview Road, Harbor Springs

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