Valley regional paramedic service facility to expand

SEYMOUR >> The Valley’s regional paramedic service is expanding its home-base here.

Valley Emergency Medical Services Chief and Executive Director Robert Pettinella said a 2,100-square-foot facility will be built at 764 Derby Ave.

Pettinella said Borghesi Building and Engineering Co. of Torrington was chosen to design and construct the new facility, which will accommodate much-needed classroom space and emergency vehicle storage. Pettinella said the building will be constructed with a pre-engineered building built by Butler Manufacturing Co.

Pettinella said the project will cost VEMS an estimated $293,000.

VEMS previously was based in Oxford, but moved to Seymour about six months ago. Pettinella said the Seymour location was more “centrally located in the Valley,” allowing quick access to Route 8 for emergency calls.

The current VEMS building has offices and space for on-duty paramedics, Pettinella said. While it also has a full kitchen, bathrooms and sleeping quarters, it does not have classroom training space, or vehicle storage.

Pettinella said when VEMS purchased the property in Seymour the most important thing was location, and being able to respond to emergencies in its member towns as quickly as possible.

“In this business it’s all about location,” Pettinella said. “We knew we could always build to suit our needs once we had the proper location to respond from.”

Once the building is done, Pettinella added, “On the off hours that VEMS will not be using the classroom facility, we will make it available for public use in the event a group or an organization needs a place to meet.”

Pettinella noted that vehicle storage is crucial to the organization.

“Both in-service and out-of-service vehicles need to be climate-controlled at all times in order to preserve drugs and certain equipment,” Pettinella said. “Although the vehicles currently have the technology to have them climate-controlled now, the garage will also keep the weather off the vehicles, which will prove invaluable during major snowstorms.”

VEMS, formed in 1983, is a nonprofit Advanced Life Support emergency medical provider serving Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton and Monroe. VEMS paramedics provide intercept service and work alongside volunteers and in combination with basic life support ambulance companies, which provide transport to hospitals.

“This has been a long time coming as VEMS has been in existence since 1983 and has never had a facility of its own,” Pettinella said. “We have gone through great lengths to save our pennies for this project. As a charity and a nonprofit there is little money left over each year to undertake such a project.”

The project is expected to completed by June 2015.