Gibson County holds groundbreaking ceremony for new ambulance building

GIBSON COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT) — Gibson County Emergency Services personnel and city officials gathered together today to break ground for a new EMS building.

The new facility will be built on a two-acre property at 605 North Embree Street in Princeton and will house living quarters for EMTs, ambulance bays, and a state-of-the-art training facility.

“We have a lot of folks in our county-wide EMS program that are highly certified and can help folks with training and certification, and they just need the proper facility,” says Warrick County Commissioner, Warren Fleetwood.

Ambulance Services Director, David Pond, says they conducted training elsewhere for the last 40 years. Last month, training was held at the Princeton Library. Renderings for the facility also show room for new ambulances, which Pond says pave the way for response times and service. He says they currently have four stations that operate 24-7 and resources are stretched thin.

“Every time we have a second run in the north Gibson area, we have to pull another crew out of Fort Branch, Oakland City, or Owensville, which then potentially leaves that area uncovered. So once we can get this station put in, and if we can get a second crew, that will help cover those areas better,” Pond says.

“The population keeps getting stronger and bigger. EMS definitely took a rough hit during COVID and a lot of people left the industry. So, having an education center and a place to house more, maybe we will get lucky and be able to house a fifth ambulance, which will help us serve the county better,” says Ralph Hoffman, a certified paramedic in Gibson County.

Hoffman says a facility like this is long overdue. He says the current building is small and does not fit their needs.

“They are sharing a bathroom and things like that. It will be a big improvement for them and for everybody, and for the taxpayers,” Hoffman says.

County officials do not have a final price tag for the project yet. They say the money comes through tax increment funding, which is an area that is taxed around the Toyota campus,

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).