County of Simcoe of celebrates grand opening of new Paramedic Services station in Orillia

​Midhurst/ December 13, 2017 – County of Simcoe Warden Gerry Marshall was joined by Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke and representatives from County of Simcoe Paramedic Services to celebrate the grand opening of the new County of Simcoe Paramedic Station in Orillia on Tuesday, December 12, 2017.

“This local investment in necessary healthcare will benefit residents of Orillia, Ramara, Oro-Medonte and other surrounding communities for decades to come," said Warden Gerry Marshall. "The County's investment in nw Paramedic Services stations, including recent additions in Beeton and Alliston and ongoing builds in Collingwood and Barrie, demonstrates our strong commitment to ensuring that all our residents are served with the highest Paramedic Services care possible, with timely access to the health care services."

The County of Simcoe established a Paramedic Services long term strategic facility plan aimed at providing efficient and responsive paramedic services now and into the future. This plan outlines the need to establish a paramedic response presence in various areas across the county to meet the needs of local residents and visitors. 

This location (68 West Street South, Orillia) is key to improving 9-1-1 response times as Orillia and surrounding communities expand. This means improved emergency response for all area residents. The station is also large enough to support future growth, ensuring long-term value for residents.

Benefits and features of new station:

• Close proximity to high call demand area, which will support response times to 9-1-1 calls (eight minute range coverage for Orillia will increase from 43% to more than 96%)
• Close proximity to Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital which will support efficiencies in transport, offloading and vehicle preparation times
• 9,680 square foot station with eight bays, storage, locker room and paramedic work area
• Pneumatic air controlled doors provide speed efficiencies to support with lowering response times
• Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor system provides enhanced security with the flexibility of working with the entire fleet of vehicles. This is a unique system that was designed internally by County maintenance staff
• Green initiatives include outdoor space for citizens to enjoy, controlled lighting system (interior and exterior) and high efficiency heating and cooling systems

The County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.

- 30 -

Contacts: