The Clair Road Emergency Services Centre (CRESC) officially opened today. Dave Levac, Member of Provincial Parliament for Brant and Parliamentary Assistant for Community Safety and Correctional Services and Warden Chris White, County of Wellington joined Mayor Karen Farbridge, City Councillors and City staff at the opening ceremony this morning.
“This is the first facility in Ontario to house EMS, Fire and Police under one roof. It is a model of how collaborative approaches and innovative partnerships can improve service to the people of our community, while ensuring maximum value for tax dollars,” said Mayor Karen Farbridge.
The new 36,000 square foot facility, located at 160 Clair Road West, houses a collision reporting centre and a community room.
The CRESC employs 18 Guelph Wellington Emergency Medical Services staff, 20 Guelph firefighters operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 45 Guelph Police Services staff.
The station was designed by Thomas Brown Architects and built to achieve Canada’s Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. Compared to a typical building of this size, the CRESC will use about 50 per cent less energy and 30 per cent water. Construction on the CRESC started in June 2009 and the project was completed earlier this year.
Following this morning’s official opening ceremony, residents and visitors were invited to tour the station, experience the interactive displays of emergency services equipment and attend a car seat clinic provided by The Co-operators.