MARCIA Street in the middle of Coffs Harbour is the site for the city’s new ambulance station, a location found to be the optimal position to service the region.

Northern NSW Acting Associate Director of Clinical Operations Damian Hughes said NSW Ambulance and Health Infrastructure worked to identify the new location using best-practice, demand-modelling software that maps Triple Zero calls and determined Marcia Street as the most suitable location for mobile emergency care in the region.

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“They do an analysis on triple zero data to see where the 000 calls are coming from,” member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh told News Of The Area.

“And when you look at where the ambulance stations are positioned in Coffs Harbour … we have one in Sawtell, one at the hospital (CHHC) and one at Woolgoolga, that’s two positioned on the south side, one to the north, and nothing right in the middle of Coffs Harbour.

“The Marcia Street site takes in the large bulk of the Coffs Harbour residential area; and all of West Coffs is easily serviced by this new location,” said Mr Singh.

Regional Health Minister Bronnie Taylor visited the site with Mr Singh on Tuesday 26 July to turn the first sod to mark the beginning of construction at Marcia Street.

Mr Singh said the new station will replace the existing station at Coffs Harbour Health Campus and boost frontline emergency care in the region, and “will also support the existing ambulance station recently completed in Sawtell and the refurbishment of Macksville station which is nearing completion”.

Coffs Harbour Ambulance Station is being constructed by Patterson Building Group and will feature internal parking for as many as 12 emergency ambulance vehicles, relief accommodation for paramedics, an internal wash bay, administration and office areas, logistics and storage, and staff parking.

“This new station has been designed and tailored to the needs of the Coffs Harbour community and will enable paramedics to continue delivering high-quality emergency healthcare.

“There’s also going to be a well-stocked kitchen and good resting area; at the end of the day the paramedics work hard, and they deserve the best station we can build.”

Mrs Taylor said the new, state-of-the-art station is set to be completed early next year.

“Today’s sod turn is the next step in delivering a new ambulance station for the Coffs Harbour community, ensuring local paramedics have access to the latest facilities to provide the best emergency medical care needs to our local communities, now and into the future.”

By Andrea FERRARI