West Shore ALS Moves into SESB (News Chronicle Article 8/9/2013)

West Shore ALS moves to Emergency Services Building

Dan Harmon, a West Shore ALS paramedic, stands next to the paramedic unit outside the Shippensburg Emergency Services Building Wednesday. The West Shore ALS station just moved into the building Thursday, Aug. 1. | Photo by Curtis Garland

By CURTIS GARLAND
Staff Writer

Published: Friday, August 9, 2013 1:13 PM EDT

The local West Shore ALS station recently moved a few blocks to the Shippensburg Emergency Services Building after a longtime stay at the Shippensburg Township Municipal Building. The move does not affect their emergency medical care, according to West Shore EMS Executive Director Paul Christophel.

“Now, we have the ability to cohabitate with our emergency personnel,” said Christophel. “The only thing that has changed is the location.”

The West Shore ALS (WSALS) officially joined the Shippensburg Area EMS (SAEMS) and the Vigilant Hose Co. at the Emergency Services Building Aug. 1. West Shore’s paramedic unit – a Ford Explorer with advanced life support equipment – will occupy one of the garage bays facing East Orange Street. The station’s four paramedics – with one person on duty at a time – also have an office space that has living quarters.

The WSALS and SAEMS have been working together for years providing emergency medical care for the area but have never been housed under the same roof before.

“Our crews work so closely all the time,” noted Christophel.

The SAEMS provides basic life support while WSALS has paramedics for advanced life support.

Heather Franzoni, public relations officer for the SAEMS, was happy about the move.

“We were all for it,” Franzoni said. “Ultimately, our goal is patient care.”

She explained that the move should create a tighter bond between the two units since they will eat and talk with one another while waiting to be dispatched.

The former WSALS station was housed at the Shippensburg Township Municipal Building at 81A Walnut Bottom Road for about 22 years, according to Christophel.

“We’re really grateful to Shippensburg Township for all these years,” said Christophel.

West Shore EMS is a health care support system serving south-central Pennsylvania and is sponsored by the Sisters of Christian Charity. WSALS has two other stations in St. Thomas and Chambersburg.

SESB is LEED Certified - The Sentinel

Shippensburg Emergency Services Building is LEED-certified

Print Email

March 16, 2013 7:00 am  •  By Debbie Chestnut, The Sentinel

(0) Comments

The new Shippensburg Emergency Services Building was recognized for its silver level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification during a special ceremony last week.

“We are the first emergency service in Pennsylvania to obtain any type of certification like this,” said Heather Franzoni, Shippensburg Area EMS public relations officer.

Ground was broken in 2011 for the Shippensburg Emergency Services Building now housing Shippensburg Area EMS and Vigilant Hose Volunteer Fire Company. Local personnel moved into their new home June 6, 2012.

Franzoni said having a green building was a goal from the start.

“We knew we wanted to make it energy-efficient because it’s a building that’s going to be around a long time,” she said. “We wanted to give back to the community.”

Franzoni said the Shippensburg Emergency Services Building was evaluated under version LEED 2009, which awarded points in five major credit categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials, and resources and indoor environmental quality. An additional six points were awarded for innovation in design, and four more were given for regional priority.

Levels of certification were: certified (40–49 points), silver (50–59), gold (60–79) and platinum (80 points and above).

The Shippensburg Emergency Services Building received 52 points.

“Notable green items for the project include a 10,000-gallon rainwater collection tank used to fill tanker trucks and wash equipment, low-flow plumbing, occupancy sensors for lighting, local materials with recycled content, and low VOC products,” said Franzoni.

She said the rainwater collection tank is especially impressive “because we’re not wasting any water to clean the apparatus.” There are motion-sensored lights in all the hallways, and heat and lighting are automatically controlled in the bunkrooms.

“When the bunkrooms are empty, the heat goes to a lower level ... and the lighting shuts down,” said Franzoni. “The bathrooms have energy-efficient hand dryers so we don’t need paper towels ...”

The shower heads are energy-efficient. “Everything is automatic. We’ve done a lot to save energy, especially with it being a large building. It’s working out well,” she said.

Last week’s ceremony included building tours and a short program presented by engineers, architects and construction company representatives. Among those in attendance were personnel from Shippensburg EMS and Vigilant Hose, Pennsylvania Fire Commissioner Ed Mann, state Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-89; Shippensburg Mayor Bruce Hockersmith, Shippensburg Township Supervisor Stephen Oldt, Southampton Township Cumberland County Supervisor Jerry Shoap and Denny Sowers of SGS Architects.

SESB Receives LEED Silver - Ship News Now

Shippensburg Area Emergency Services Building’s Silver LEED certification celebrated

4 MARCH 2013 NO COMMENT

By AMBER SOUTH
@ShipNewsGirl

Shippensburg Area Emergency Services Building’s certification as an energy efficient, environmentally friendly facility was celebrated Monday by officials, company volunteers and others from the community.

Vigilant Hose Company and Shippensburg Area EMS were presented with Silver LEED certification for building an environmentally efficient building. Pictured are Gregg Thompson of Brechbill and Helman Construction Co. and Kevin Nehf, vice president of Vigilant Hose Company.(Public Opinion, Markell DeLoatch)

Standing just outside Shippensburg borough in Southampton Township, Cumberland County, the building shared by Vigilant Hose Company No. 1 and Shippensburg Area Emergency Medical Services is the first public safety building in Pennsylvania to be certified in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, said Gregg Thompson, director of marketing and business development for Brechbill and Helman Construction Co., the project’s construction company.

Achieving that distinction was enough motivation to make it happen, said Shawn Hartsock, director of operations for Shippensburg Area EMS. Stone House Group, Bethlehem, worked with the design team — Brechbill and Helman, SGS Architects Engineers of Carlisle, and Carl Bert and Associates of Shippensburg — on developing sustainable elements to make it possible.

The building achieved Silver certification, getting 52 points out of 100 across the major categories of Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.

Elements include a 10,000-gallon tank that collects rainwater to fill tanker trucks and wash equipment, low-flow plumbing, occupancy sensors for lighting, local materials and recycled content, and low volatile-organic-compound products that improve indoor air quality.

Incorporating these things saves officials thousands of dollars in operating costs, said Robert Price, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of U.S. Green Building Council, the organization behind LEED. Cost effectiveness was the basis for inclusion in the facility, said Matt Dice, project superintendent.

“(The project) demonstrates a commitment to the leadership here, of environmental stewardship and the role in enhancing this community and all it stands for,” Price said.

Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Chambersburg, said he is proud to have the facility in his legislative district and that the people behind it saw their vision through to the end.

The facility has come a long way since it was a design for a plot of land where the former University Lodge motel stood prior to demolition in summer 2010, a number of speakers remarked.

The building would not be what it is today without the partnership of Vigilant Hose Company and Shippensburg Area EMS, said Dan Byers, president of Vigilant.

He said the project really started 25 years ago with the fire company looking for a new home. With the neighboring facilities both failing to meet industry standards, Vigilant and EMS eventually teamed up on the project as a way to complete daily operations more efficiently and save costs.

——————————
Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com and 262-4771.

LEED Ceremony to be March 4, 2013 - Ship News Now

Ceremony March 4 will recognize Shippensburg Area EMS Building’s Silver LEED certification

1 MARCH 2013 NO COMMENT

SHIPPENSBURG — A ceremony marking Shippensburg Area Emergency Medical Services Building’s certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is planned March 4.

The program, at 1 p.m. at the SAEMS Building at the corner of Orange Street and Walnut Bottom Road, will include a short program and optional building tours.

The building was completed last summer. It was evaluated under LEED 2009, in which there are 100 possible base points distributed across five major credit categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality; there are additional points for Innovation in Design and Regional Priority.

The building scored 52 points, putting it in the Silver tier. This is the second among four levels.

Notable green items for the project include a 10,000 gallon rainwater collection tank used to fill tanker trucks and wash equipment, low-flow plumbing, occupancy sensors for lighting, local materials with recycled content, and low Volatile Organic Compounds products.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED provides a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

Shippensburg Safety Day 2012 - Ship News Now

First Shippensburg Area Emergency Services Safety Day set for July 14

2 JULY 2012 NO COMMENT

By AMBER SOUTH
Staff writer
Shippensburg Area Emergency Medical Services and Vigilant Hose Company will together host the first Shippensburg Area Emergency Services Safety Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 14.

The event will take place at the recently opened Shippensburg Area Emergency Services Building at 20 Walnut Bottom Road. The facility is partly responsible for the event, for the EMS and Vigilant Hose hosted individual safety events in years past but are coming together this year since they are now housed under the same roof.

“I think it’s a good education event to bring your family members to, and to see the new building that they supported the past couple years,” said Heather Franzoni, public relations coordinator for Shippensburg Area EMS.

The purpose of the event is two-fold; the public will learn about emergency services offered in the community, and through that education workers in those fields will be able to do their jobs more efficiently.

“It just seems like the more community education we do the more people are supportive and the more people understand what our daily duties are everyday,” Franzoni said.

A number of community organizations will participate in the event, including Elmcroft Assisted Living, Roxbury Treatment Center, Deerfield Commons, Shippensburg Sentinel, West Shore EMS, Shippensburg Police Department, Shippensburg Fire Department and others.

Also, individuals will sell their wares and other services. Franzoni said some of them will put a safety spin on their presentation. For example, a woman who will sell cookware will discuss healthy cooking.

Shippensburg Area EMS and Vigilant Hose will demonstrate actions taken on a regular basis. These will help the public understand why certain actions are necessary, Franzoni said.

Volunteers in the junior membership programs will help keep the kids occupied. They will offer face painting in addition to several games and other activities.

Other activities include child car seat checks, health screenings, and ambulance and fire truck tours. A chicken barbecue will be open throughout the day.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to tour the new emergency services building. Representatives from the EMS and Vigilant Hose will be on hand as guides and to answer questions. By opening the new space to the community and exhibiting the new amenities, the EMS hopes to increase its volunteer crew.

“And hopefully it will keep our volunteers who are always here to help around a little bit longer,” Franzoni said.

——————————
Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com, 262-4771, or follow her on Twitter @ShipNewsGirl.

6/18/2012 YouTube Video

8/11/2010 YouTube Demolition