The new Aspen Ambulance Station that has been under construction for just over a year is nearing completion and the public is invited to help celebrate its grand opening. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Monday, September 9th beginning at 5 p.m. Dignitaries, stakeholders, architects, construction crews, and neighbors will be on hand to participate in the event.
“We are very excited to show our community this new, state of the art facility that will allow us to continue to provide the best emergency medical response possible,” said Aspen Ambulance District Director, Gabe Muething.
The new Aspen Ambulance Station adjacent to Aspen Valley Hospital
The new 13,214-foot facility, located just across from the Aspen Valley Hospital campus, replaces a 2,800 square foot metal barn that was used to house ambulances and staff for the past 25 years. Taller, modern ambulances were barely able to squeeze into the old facility which allowed just inches between the roof of the ambulances and ceiling of the bays. The new facility has ample room for six vehicles - two command vehicles and four ambulances. The lower floor includes an exercise room, training room, decontamination room and storage. The upper level includes bunkrooms, a kitchen, dining and living area, and a room for report writing. A wing of the facility is devoted to administrative offices and a conference room.
“These new spaces will allow my staff to complete emergency patient reports and ready our equipment for the next call and to rest and rejuvenate between ambulance calls,” Muething said. “It’s a far cry from our old facility that was cramped and had building issues on a regular basis. We are grateful to our Aspen Ambulance District voters, the Pitkin County staff and Board of Commissioners and the Aspen Valley Hospital staff and Board members for understanding the need for this project and seeing it through.”
There are currently 32 men and women on the Aspen Ambulance staff. They offer 24/7 pre-hospital emergency medical care and include 13 Critical Care Level Paramedics which are not common in smaller communities.
The new facility was funded from a 0.501 mill levy passed by Pitkin County voters in 2014.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony gets underway at 5 p.m. Facility tours will be provided and refreshments served.
MEDIA CONTACT: Gabe Muething - Ambulance District Director - 970-544-1578