Plans to build a new Easton Volunteer Emergency Medical Services headquarters adjacent to the Fire House on Center Road are moving forward with the project entering the pre- design phase.
On May 23, Tom Peck with the Greenwich-based ShoreLine Design Group provided the town’s Emergency Medical Services Planning and Building Committee with a preliminary design for the project.
Wendy Bowditch, who sits on the EMS Building Committee, said Shoreline Design Group was chosen for the project based on its work in other towns.
“They’ve done EMS buildings and did them reasonably,“ said Bowditch.
Bowditch said in June the Shoreline Design Group is expected to present to the EMS committee the cost and scope of the project. The presumed cost to build a new EMS headquarters adjacent to the fire house is $2. 7 million, Bowditch said.
EMS is contributing $700,000 toward the project. The town has committed roughly $2 million through the American Rescue Plan‘s Covid recovery funds.
EMS officials have been trying for years to leave the outdated 92-year-old building on Sport Hill Road and move into a modern and accessible headquarters. Built in 1925 and originally a fire house, the current building has housed the EMS since 1988. The current EMS property is a half-acre with little ability to expand in any direction.
The consensus among EMS and Fire personnel – as well as the EMS Building Committee comprised of seven members from different town boards and committees, including finance – is that this plan is the best course of action.
Over the past several years, Easton EMS has been holding fundraising drives to raise money for a new facility to house and train their growing group of thirty-two staff, thirty of whom are volunteers.
A comprehensive report analyzing Easton’s Fire and EMS systems highlighted the need for a new EMS facility, citing insufficient space for its vehicles, office space, living quarters as well as inadequate space for growth. The report recommends EMS move next to the fire house as a cost-saving measure.
