By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
After nearly two years of collaboration, the Municipality of Trent Hills and Northumberland County have planned a Virtual Grand Opening to showcase the new Trent Hills Emergency Services Base for the community.
The announcement said that an in-person celebration had been planned, where residents could tour the completed facility and connect with first responders, Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the alternative presented to the public is a series of engaging resources, including a video narrated by local officials featuring key areas inside the modern new space, along with a self-directed virtual tour of the facility.
These resources and more are on the new dedicated Virtual Grand Opening website.
Located at 50 Doxsee Ave. S., at the corner of River Street and Doxsee Avenue in downtown Campbellford, the Trent Hills Emergency Services Base is more than 17,000 sq. ft. of space shared with the Trent Hills Fire Department and Northumberland Paramedics co-located on the ground floor, and the Trent Hills Council Chambers located on the second floor. The facility will also double as the municipality’s Emergency Operations Centre when required, where officials will gather to co-ordinate and direct emergency-response operations.
In 2018, the municipality and the county partnered to design and construct this $6.3-million facility. After breaking ground in March 2019, the construction process took just over a year, with crews moving into the facility in July 2020, and council chambers finalized this September.
Trent Hills Fire Chief Tim Blake has watched it all take shape.
“Pulling the trucks in on moving day in July was a very meaningful moment for our firefighters,” Blake said.
“This has been a key development in helping to modernize the fire prevention and response services we provide to our community.
“We are thrilled to be working more closely with our paramedic partners as we jointly strive to enhance first response for the residents of Trent Hills.”
Northumberland Paramedics Chief Bill Detlor is also pleased at the prospects of an enhanced working relationship.
“As community requirements evolve, this new base will enable Northumberland Paramedics to advance our mission to deliver industry-leading pre-hospital healthcare to the community,” Detlor said.
“We look forward to opportunities for enhanced collaboration with the Fire Department to further strengthen quality emergency response.
Establishing this critical presence for emergency response resources in Campbellford’s urban area ensures residents will continue to receive quick and effective aid during an emergency now and into the future.
“The new Trent Hills Emergency Services Base is a wonderful addition to Campbellford’s downtown core, with the design complimenting the aesthetic of the area and the location addressing a strategic priority to enhance public safety through easier access for our first responders to the community’s urban centre,” Trent Hills Mayor Bob Crate commented.
Built with a long-term view of community growth in mind, this space includes four bays for fire trucks and emergency-response vehicles and equipment, three bays for ambulances and paramedic equipment, a training room and meeting space, a kitchen and crew-room facilities, and a new council chambers with a large horseshoe design for council and gallery seating for up to 40.
It’s all on view at the Virtual Grand Opening website that will be on-line through year’s end at www.Northumberland.ca/BaseGrandOpening.
“We are very pleased to be able to finally invite residents across the threshold, even if only virtually for now,: Northumberland Warden Bob Sanderson said in the announcement.
“While our preference would be to welcome residents to an in-person celebration, our priority is keeping everyone safe during this pandemic, so we’ve worked hard to deliver the next best thing with this Virtual Grand Opening.
“We invite the public to visit the website to explore this new home for our first responders and Trent Hills Council Chambers until we can welcome everyone on-site in the future when it is once again safe to do so.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
