- A new ambulance post will be going in at Fire Station 11 off of Centerville Road in rural Northeast Leon County.
- The ambulance and a spot for it will arrive to the station sometime around March.
- Watch the video to see why neighbors are grateful for the service.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Rural neighborhoods in northeast Leon county have more emergency services on the way.
Neighbors living off of Centerville Road and Pisgah Church Road told me they’re happy to hear an ambulance station is going in down the street.
One of those neighbors is Eddy Crockett. He has seen his part of northeast Leon County grow over the years.
"We were the only people in Baker Place for four, five years. Now, I think there's 104 in here," Crockett said.
With a background as an ambulance driver, pharmacist and physician, he knows more than most about how more emergency services are needed.
"One accident that is strong in my mind was when it involved 14 people," Crockett said. "Luckily, we were there quickly but we had to transport them 20 miles."
Tuesday I told him about the new ambulance station coming to Centerville Road. It's an idea he said he's glad to hear.
"Where there is population, there's prone to be accidents and illness and heart attacks and things of that nature that need prompt attention, so I think having something close in our area would be a benefit," Crockett said.
It will be at Fire Station 11 on Centerville Road.
It's a location Leon County EMS Chief Chad Abrams said the department noticed a need.
"We look at call volume and population growth and disbursement of calls across the county," Abrams said.
That call volume increase: 94 percent since 2004.
It's gone up 6 percent from May 2022 to May 2023.
Those calls going up with population, with the area's population increasing by 14,000 since 2010.
Abrams said those increases keep them constantly looking out for ways to adapt.
"This is a continual process that we are doing all the time so that we continue to provide the best service possible to the community," Abrams said.
Crockett has one message for those providing that service.
"We love you, take care of yourself, take of us and always be available because I did the 24/7 365 for several years so that's what we want you to do," Crockett said.
Leaders said the ambulance will arrive in March.
