Fremont – Sandusky County, Ohio – The Sandusky County EMS has announced plans to expand and relocate their headquarters to 1791 E. State St in Fremont. Sandusky County EMS will be retaining 33 full-time, 5 part-time, and 2 administration employees, and allowing room for additional staff members to be added in the future.
“After searching for land and looking at properties, one site kept coming up, 1791 East State, Fremont, Ohio, the old Big Lots” stated Jeffery Jackson, Sandusky County EMS Chief. “It is an existing building with good access points to the east and west with eventually better access to the US 20 Bypass in future years”.
Currently, headquarters holds Life Squad 18, EMS Chief, EMS Captain, Special OPS/MCI trailer, ATV/Gator, Reserve Unit 16, Reserve Unit 12, and Bariatric Unit 13. The current headquarters is approximately 5,100 square feet and the former Big Lots building is approximately 38,750 square feet. Adding over 30,000 square feet of additional space will provide the Sandusky County EMS with enough room for storage of supplies, heated space for ambulances, training for educational requirements, and room for the Emergency Vehicle Operation course. In the past, Sandusky County EMS would have to ask another entity to borrow space, or a piece of property to conduct their training and Emergency Vehicle Operation courses. Soon they will be able to provide all of this on-site with the additional square footage of the building and land.
“This piece of property will give us the ability to capture all our needs under one roof and one piece of property. It will also bring some new life to the eastside of Fremont by transforming a vacant building into an EMS Headquarters” added Jackson.
Commissioner Russ Zimmerman stated that “the purchase of the building on East State Street will not only be a new home for the county EMS squad and administrative office, but it will also eventually house several other county offices. This will allow these offices to be in close proximity to each other, and help the people that need these services to be a “one-stop-shop”.
The square footage in this building will allow for numerous offices, back up squad storage, and other storage to help consolidate the country’s resources in one building”. Zimmerman added, “We are looking forward to getting the building renovated which will allow the EMS to have more space for training and storage of their medical supplies”.
The former Big Lots property isn’t the only investment that the Sandusky County EMS is making this year. Life Squad 14, currently housed at 901 S. Main St. with approximately 950 square feet in Gibsonburg will be moving to property adjacent to the current station and constructing a new 3600 square foot building. Sandusky County purchased the State St. property in Fremont for $250,000 and the Gibsonburg site for $34,000. “We have simply outgrown our current spaces. The new locations are much better suited for our current needs and supporting the ongoing growth we anticipate,” said Jackson. Adding “We are excited to move into our new space and proud of what this means for the future of our company and to better serve Sandusky County residents”.
“The SCEDC was happy to work with EMS Chief Jackson and the Sandusky County Commissioners on finding a new location for EMS headquarters” stated Beth Hannam, Executive Director of the Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation. “We are looking forward to seeing the completion of both properties and see two former vacant buildings rejuvenated”.
