Strathalbyn’s new purpose-built ambulance station was officially oped on  Sunday 5 February, boosting emergency resources for the region.

Health Minister Chris Picton joined a tour of the $4.6 million station, which will house the existing 40 volunteer staff, a Regional Paramedic Team Leader, and a 6-person Regional Medical Transfer Service crew.

“This new station and the significant boost in ambulance resources that we are making in this region will deliver better health care for the growing South Coast community,” he says.

“These extra resources are just one example of the broader work we are doing to recruit 350 more ambos and build 11 new stations across the state.

“The opening of the Strathalbyn ambulance station is a great way to thank our local crews for the excellent service and critical health care they provide to their community. 

“The pressures our ambos are facing are not confined to metropolitan areas and we are getting to work in expanding ambulance coverage across the Hills and Fleurieu.”

The new ambulance station, at Dry Plains Road, features a large training space, a 4-bay garage, a kitchen, rest and recline areas, and secure car parking for crews. 

It will also be home to an additional 12-person paramedic team for Strathalbyn set to come online in 2025.

The station replaces the ageing Rankine Street station, after more than 20 years of operation.

Robert Tolson, SAAS Interim Executive Director Country Operations, says

Strathalbyn volunteers respond to about 1,520 incidents each year, 

“The new station means that they have the best facilities they need to ensure the community receives the very best in patient care.”

It is the first of three promised new facilities across the Fleurieu Peninsula, with the recent announcement of land for a new ambulance station for Victor Harbor and ambulance station upgrade for the Goolwa community.

There will also be an additional 24 paramedics, including a 12-person paramedic crew based at Victor Harbor Ambulance Station from 2024 and a 12-person paramedic crew beginning in Goolwa in 2025, to provide 24/7 emergency services.

The new Strathalbyn station will be fully operational from Thursday 9 February.