Hamilton Emergency Medical Services announced this week paramedics who usually report to work at the permanent Memorial Square station will begin shifts at the Parkside Drive fire station in Waterdown, starting Friday, Dec. 5 and, following deployment to whatever part of the city they may be needed, they will use the Greensville site as a rest stop.

But Mario Posteraro, president of OPSEU Local 256 which represents Hamilton paramedics and ambulance attendants, said the temporary situation does not represent the best solution for local ambulance service.

“We would have preferred to maintain a stable presence in Dundas proper,” Mr. Posteraro said.

He also said there’s a concern about having the paramedics start shifts in Waterdown, creating additional vehicle movement throughout the area.

The Waterdown station is about 11 kilometres from Memorial Square in the centre of Dundas, while the Greensville station is about four kilometres away. The Waterdown and Greensville stations are roughly 12 kilometres apart.

Mr. Posteraro questioned Emergency Medical Services’ planning process for finding a temporary “home base,” as he called it, for paramedics normally based at the Dundas fire station. He said EMS management did not consult the union or its members during the process.

He noted renovation of the Dundas station has been planned for some time –about three years –and fire service management found a temporary site within Dundas seven months ago. The fire service then had the Park Street West property rezoned for a temporary fire station.

“Our concern is it should have been contemplated prior to having to scramble for a location,” Mr. Posteraro said.

Bill Farkas, manager of real estate for the City of Hamilton, told the Dundas Star New on Oct. 31 his department was canvassing Dundas to find a temporary site for paramedics.

“A few sites had been identified and staff are in the midst of contacting the respective owners to gauge their interest,” Mr. Farkas wrote in an email. “At this time I am not at liberty to disclose the potential location.”

Meanwhile, with a temporary fire station ready at the former hydro warehouse, the major reconstruction contract for the 36-year-old Memorial Square station was tendered on Nov. 12. At the time, emergency medical services had still not identified a temporary location – more than seven months since the fire service had identified its temporary home.

“This Greensville station appears to be the default station, not the optimum station –which would have been in Dundas proper,” Mr. Posteraro said.

He noted the union’s health and safety committee had not yet scheduled a date to go through the Greensville station and ensure it meets health and safety requirements for the paramedics.

“If it’s not up to standards, we’re not going in there,” Mr. Posteraro said.

In a press release announcing the temporary location chosen for Dundas paramedics, EMS director Brent Browett stated: “I am pleased that we were able to resolve this matter well in advance of the start of the proposed renovations to the Dundas fire/EMS station.

“This solution ensures that the residents of Dundas will continue to enjoy some of the best paramedic response times in the city while still providing acceptable response times in the Waterdown/ Flamborough area.”

The tender for the Memorial Square fire station renovation project calls for the contract to be awarded in December, after deadline for bids passes on Dec. 4, and targets “substantial completion” of the project on June 15, 2009.

Fifteen construction contractors had picked up tender packages as of Tuesday morning.

The renovation includes asbestos removal; upgrades to the building’s shell; roof, window and entrance replacement; construction of new ceilings, floors and partitions; washroom and locker room upgrades; new heat pump, exhaust and heat recovery systems; plumbing upgrades; electrical system upgrades and new lighting, among other work.

The building was originally constructed as a part-time fire station and doesn’t include proper facilities for firefighters or paramedics.