More on Rescue Center Groundbreaking
by Sublette County EMS
December 19, 2006
(Pinedale) - In a joint effort to reduce fire and emergency response time to operations and rural residents, the Sublette County government, the oil and gas industry and the Sublette County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) partnered to establish the Sand Draw Rescue Center.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the Sand Draw Industrial Park on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006 at 3 p.m. to commence the building of the center. Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal will attend the event.
The Sand Draw Rescue Center will be located 22 miles south of Pinedale and 25 miles east of Big Piney, reducing emergency medical response by at least 20 minutes to the southeastern corner of the county, including Jonah Field, parts of the Pinedale Anticline and rural residents.
“The generosity of the oil and gas industry and the Sublette County Commissioners will allow us to provide enhanced emergency response and keep Sublette County workers and residents safe,” said Sublette County EMS Supervisor Wil Gay.
The center will also be vital in providing a centralized facility that will help reduce impacts to the communities and improve local operations. With this in mind, representatives from EnCana Oil and Gas (USA), Ultra Petroleum, Shell Rocky Mountain and BP, along with EMS personnel and the Sublette County Sheriff’s Department formed the Sand Draw committee. The committee decided what emergency equipment would be stationed at the facility, where it would be built and how it would be funded.
“The center will house a new ambulance and equipment, along with space for a computer lab, kitchen, restrooms, and office space for Sublette County EMS, Sublette County Sheriff’s Department and Sublette County Emergency Management,” Gay said.
The four operators contributed a total of $900,000, and the Sublette County Commissioners contributed $500,000. Eric and Pat Fairbanks of Black Horse Construction provided a parcel in the Sand Draw Industrial Park at cost. And the Sublette County Rural Health Care District committed to providing personnel to staff an ambulance full-time at approximately $250,000 a year.
“Sublette County Emergency Medical Services has done an outstanding job throughout the years,” said EnCana Production Coordinator Chris House. “They are quick to respond and very professional. The Sand Draw Rescue Center is a much needed facility that will benefit everyone, and I’m glad that we can all work together to provide a solid solution for emergency response.”
The money provided by the operators and commissioners would be used to purchase the lot, buy a new ambulance and construct the building. Chambers Design & Build will construct the facility. Anticipated completion date is April 1, 2007.
For more information, contact Wil Gay, Sublette County EMS Supervisor, 307-367-2315.
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