KENT CO. -- Kent County officials broke ground at two future EMS facilities Tuesday morning. Public safety officials said the new facilities hope to improve coverage and response times in the area.
One station will be located on Gordon Street in Harrington, while the other will be located next to the Kent County Wastewater Facilities near Frederica.
"Through the course of the years, we've mainly been stationed in firehouses," Kent County Levy Court Vice President Robert Scott said Tuesday. "Harrington Firehouse housed us for a while, and Frederica housed us for a while. But we had the opportunity this year to help our program grow."
Scott said both stations are in areas that need increased coverage.
"With having a station here, and paramedics on duty here, it'll be a lot quicker of a response," Scott said. "The biggest obstacle in public safety is time."
Scott also said population growth in both of the areas has strained their EMS services.
"Ten years ago we ran about 27,000 to 28,000 EMS calls a year," Scott said. "Today we're close to 50,000 calls a year."
According to county leaders, the $5.3 million dollar facilities will include state-of-the-art technology, such as drive-through ambulance bays and maps showing real-time events.
"We as paramedics constantly everyday serve the public. And, as an administrator for the paramedics I wanna give back to those who serve every day," John Tinger, Acting Director of Public Safety for Kent County, said. "Giving them state-of-the-art new buildings and great equipment is really what makes them motivated to come to work every day."
County officials said the two projects are expected to be completed by the end of this year.