Chatham Emergency Squad Relocates Operations
Submitted by Roberta Bitar
It’s an exciting time in the life of the Chatham Emergency Squad. For the first time in over 40 years, CES is embarking upon a major renovation of its buildings. Effective February 5, all operations have shifted from the Township building at 45 Spring Street to the Borough building at 31 North Passaic Avenue. The move is in anticipation of construction starting this spring.
The renovation, which addresses space and modernization updates, was carefully studied for over four years and was overwhelmingly approved by the membership. With the support and professional cooperation of the Chatham Township Planning Board members and the Township Administrator, Ziad Shehady, CES received its final approvals in early February. Local contractor Red Rock Construction will complete the work designed by Eric Baker Architects.
In anticipation of the major overhaul of the Township building at 45 Spring Street, the CES Operations team announced its plans to ensure aseamless operational response that maintains both the safety of its members and the high-quality delivery of medical response for which CES is known. CES Captain Nicole DiMaggio said “By planning for and minimizing the challenges of operational complexity, CES will continue to respond quickly, efficiently and effectively to every 911 call it receives. No compromise in quality or outstanding patient care will be expected or accepted despite the move from one building to the other.”
The building at 31 North Passaic Avenue now holds two ambulances and is where all duty crews are stationed. CES’ third ambulance is parked at the Chatham Township Volunteer Fire Department’s station at 172 Southern Boulevard. Having one ambulance in the Township is particularly convenient for responding to second, third or overnight calls where the Township location may offer a more efficient response.
CTVFD’s Chief, Matt Chase said “The Chatham Township Fire Department is excited to have the opportunity to share our space with Chatham EMS while they undergo renovations. We are fortunate enough to have room in our Southern Boulevard firehouse to not only house one of their ambulances but enough space to hold a crew of EMTs during inclement weather events. We are looking forward to continuing to build our relationship with CES and working together for the duration of the building renovations.”
CES Operations Lieutenant Bryan McGookin reports that “the Operations Team has examined every aspect of the move all the way down to the smallest detail. Regular rig checks, fire rehab equipment, and middle-of-the-night response are just three of the myriad factors the team has planned for.”
All administrative functions have also relocated from Spring Street. Although many aspects can be handled from members’ homes during construction, larger space for Trustee and Members’ meetings have been graciously supplied by The Library of the Chathams. Additionally, the trustees of the Stanley Church building offered space for training, storage, and small meeting space for the entire length of the project. Phone numbers and US mail will be forwarded to the N. Passaic building.
This move is only the first step into an extremely exciting future for the Chatham Emergency Squad. CES looks forward to sharing more details with the community as the project develops.
