Friday, August 9, 2013

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.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

SESB is LEED Certified - The Sentinel


March 16, 2013 7:00 am  •  
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.

Monday, March 4, 2013

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

Friday, March 1, 2013

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.

Monday, July 2, 2012

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

Thursday, June 21, 2012

8/11/2010 YouTube Demolition

6/19/2012 News Chronicle Article


Community laughs, cries and basks in satisfaction as new emergency center opens




Flags of the United States and Pennsylvania flank the Vigilant Hose Co. banner during Saturday’s march down Orange Street as the company relocated to its new quarters. (Photo by R.C.’s Photography)

Fire and ambulance personnel march to new headquarters Saturday

By DALE HEBERLIG
Managing Editor
Published: Tuesday, June 19, 2012 11:13 AM EDT
Vigilant Hose Co. and Shippensburg Area EMS are home.

The fire and ambulance companies moved into a sparkling new-state-of-the art $7 million headquarters Saturday amid tears, laughs and deep satisfaction, with several hundred community members sharing in the glow.

Among those attending ceremonies at the now vacant Vigilant Hose Co. station was Tim Costanza, a former company president and former Shippensburg mayor, who reminisced about the history at 129 E. King St.

With a row of aging fire company veterans seated up front – many in wheelchairs – Costanza, now a south Texas resident, waxed nostalgic when he recited a list of past Vigilant heroes like Roy Dubbs, Charles Mouer, Glen Bitner, Tom Murray, Sr., Roger Sleighter, John Snyder and Chief Emeritus Charlie Myers. He triggered community memories with references to the familiar echo of a siren that once sounded with every alarm and a towering evergreen that was ‘the town Christmas tree” for decades. And he lit more subtle recollections with references to brotherhood and camaraderie.

Myers and current President Danny Byers added to the fond memories.

Myers cited a site that hasn’t been seen in recent years, and may be forever gone.

“There was a time when the churches emptied on a Sunday morning if there was a fire,” he said. Men in suits and ties turned out for a fire.”

With tongue in cheek, Byers said there are several things he will miss.

“I’ll miss the hot summer days with no air conditioning and the cold winter days when it was cold in the station,” he said. “I’ll miss the clanging of pipes when the heat was turned on and I’ll miss yelling at the guys for parking on the ramps (the aprons in front of the station doors.)”

Hundreds of solemn faces greeted a final refrain from the siren when the decommissioned Vigilant Hose Co. siren was recharged for a final blast prior to the departure of a march down Orange Street in front of dozens more spectators – a march that ended at the new location at Orange Street and Walnut Bottom Road where ambulances and engines were pushed into the bays in a traditional ceremony.

On hand at the new 36,450-square-foot headquarters were state Sen. Rich Alloway (R-33), state Rep. Rob Kauffman (R-89) and Cumberland County Commissioner Gary Eichelberger.

Vigilant Hose Co. Secretary Megan Silverstrim, who served as mistress of ceremonies at the new station, spoke smoothly through the dedication of the SAEMS portion of the building, but balked with emotion during the Vigilant ceremony.

SAEMS Treasurer, perhaps sensing the building drama, kept his remarks brief.

“I’m overwhelmed by how this came together, and how these two groups worked together,” he said.

Speaking through tears moments later, Silverstrim called the moment “bittersweet”

She said, “I equated this move to moving from a childhood home and thinking it would never be the same, but I was here the pother night and I realized it is the same. The company is defined by its people not a building.”

Chief Clyde Tinner was next up, focusing on a practical benefit of the new firehouse.

“No longer will we sleep next to the trucks and the equipment stored next to the trucks,” Tinner said. “No longer will be buy apparatus built to fit our station. To our younger members, I say, take pride in this and take care of it.”

Mayor Hockersmith lightened the atmosphere in his remarks.

“When I was asked to make some remarks here, I thought of a list of things that we can say ‘isn’t it a good thing that,’” he said.

He led with the observation, “Isn’t it a good thing that the first time there was a fire in our community, people grabbed a bucket and not a bag of marshmallows.”

Moving from the humor, Hockersmith offered a list of “isn’t it a good things,” starting with the installation of a public water system and the move from buckets to firefighting apparatus, and ending with that observation that “the volunteer spirit is alive and well in Shippensburg.”

Original Article

Sunday, June 17, 2012

6/17/2012 ShipNewsNow Article


Symbolic parade to new firehouse sparks emotions

17 JUNE 2012 NO COMMENT
By SAMANTHA COSSICK
ShipNewsNow.com
SHIPPENSBURG – As the fire whistle at 129 E. King St. blew one last time, tears of joy and sadness marked the beginning and the end of an era.
Members of the Vigilant Hose Company #1 and Shippensburg Area Emergency Medical Services marched as a unit from their old fire station to their new building at 20 Walnut Bottom Road.
The lyrics to Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” read by former mayor and past fire company president Tim Costanza, set the tone for Saturday’s farewell ceremony: “I set fire to the rain. And I threw us into the flames. Where it felt something die. ‘Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time.”
A fire house is one of the most recognized and revered buildings in any neighborhood, Costanza said.
“Most importantly, the fire house is home for one of the greatest families in the world – the brothers and sisters of the fire service,” he said.
The old station on King Street has served as that home for nearly 170 years and helped establish a bond they all share – the fact that they might not have been the largest fire company, but they were the oldest, Costanza said.
When they began the process of establishing a new fire station, Company President Dan Byers said he questioned whether they were ready for the process.
“I ask that you think of our path to this point and remember our path to the future,” Byers said.
Chief Emeritus Charlie Myers said he came to visit the building one last time at midnight Saturday and saw about a dozen former members sitting outside smoking cigars and remembering their times.
“Now just as our motto states, we’re going to move onward and upward,” Myers said.
At the new station, three separate ribbon cuttings opened and welcomed the new bays for SAEMS, the Vigilant Hose Company and the Shippensburg Emergency Services Building.
The benefits of the new station are many, but mostly, they are the safety improvements, said Company Chief Clyde Tinner.
Additionally, it provides a new space for emergency services, a new building in the town, and a new view for visitors, he said.
“When visitors come to Shippensburg now, they no longer have to drive by a run down motel,” Tinner said. “This will be the first thing they see.”
Tinner challenged the younger members to always take pride in the building and keep it in top condition. If they need a reminder, the pictures hanging in the hallway depicting the company’s past should help.
While it’s sad to say good-bye, it’s nice to move forward, said Company Vice President Kevin Nehf.
“We planned for the for the future as best as we can,” Nehf said. “Welcome home, boys.”
The new station, designed by SGS Architects, is 36,450 square feet and meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, the only fire and EMS station in the state to meet those standards.
The $7.6 million project began in August 2010 with the demolition of an old motel that previously occupied the space. In its place, the new station houses emergency services training and multi-purpose room, bunk facilities, five drive through bays for the fire company, four drive through bays for EMS, locker rooms and a fitness room.
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Samantha Cossick can be reached at scossick@publicopinionnews.com and 262-4762 or follow her on Twitter at @SCossickPO.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

6/14/2012 News Chronicle Article

Emergency services center set to open




Home sweet (new) home. The Vigilant Hose Co. and Shippensburg Area EMS take possession of their new joint headquarters Saturday in an afternoon ceremony. The $7 million station will relieve crowded conditions and outdated facilities at the separate locations they now occupy. (Photo by Trisha Grace)

Saturday ceremony marks new era for volunteers

Published: Thursday, June 14, 2012 2:35 PM EDT
After 170 years in one place, Vigilant Hose Co. volunteers are “sad to be leaving, but happy to be going” from their cramped, but familiar, home to an expansive new headquarters.

Ambulance personnel from Shippensburg Area EMS are happy to be going along as the two companies partner in their new station at the intersection of Orange Street and Walnut Bottom Road.

A procession of men, women and apparatus marks the official move Saturday when personnel from the two companies march down Orange Street in the most anticipated, and least advertised, parade in local memory.

A departure ceremony is slated for 1 p.m. at the current station in the 100 block of East King Street – a location occupied by the Vigilants since their inception in 1843. A ribbon cutting follows at the new Shippensburg Emergency Services Building at 2 p.m.

Ambulance personnel have been working out of a former residential building a block east of the Vigilant Hose station for several years since the ambulance service split with the CV Hose Co. The quarters is cramped and outdated. Apparatus are parked outdoors with exposure to weather and storage is nearly nonexistent.

The $7 million facility waiting in Shippensburg Township just across the Shippensburg borough border is a palace by comparison. Ironically, it occupies space created when the former University Lodge Motel was damaged heavily by fire.

The community is encouraged to attend this historic event for the two emergency services organizations, that have served the Shippensburg Area for a combined 240 years. The public is invited to tour the new facility Saturday, and visit with responders from both organizations.

VHC and SAEMS Unveil New Building - The Sentinel


June 14, 2012 2:20 pm  •  
Check out the new Community Impact 2012 special section featuring the Shippensburg Emergency Services Building.
Also check out the attached video to get a tour of the new facility, which houses Vigilant Hose Fire Co. and Shippensburg Area EMS.

6/14/2012 Sentinel Insert


Vigilant Hose, Shippensburg Area EMS unveil new building

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Shippensburg Emergency Services Building tour
Shippensburg Emergency Services Building tour
Take a video tour of the new Shippensburg Emergency Services Building, which houses Vigilant Hose Fire Co. and Shippensburg Area EMS.
Check out the new Community Impact 2012 special section featuring the Shippensburg Emergency Services Building.
Also check out the attached video to get a tour of the new facility, which houses Vigilant Hose Fire Co. and Shippensburg Area EMS.


Read more: http://cumberlink.com/shippensburg/vigilant-hose-shippensburg-area-ems-unveil-new-building/article_d121e3c4-b64d-11e1-99ad-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz1y4BJd138

Monday, June 11, 2012

6/11/2012 Public Opinion Article


New emergency services building to open Saturday

11 JUNE 2012 NO COMMENT
SHIPPENSBURG — Members of the Vigilant Hose Company and Shippensburg Emergency Medical Services will pick up and move on Saturday in symbolic journey.
The Shippensburg Emergency Services Building at 20 Walnut Bottom Road, Shippensburg, will hold an official grand opening Saturday. (Public Opinion, Markell DeLoatch)
Following a brief ceremony to close the building at 1 p.m., crews and apparatuses will leave from the fire company’s current home at 129 E. King St. They will parade down Orange Street toward the new Shippensburg Area Emergency Services Building at 20 Walnut Bottom Road, a facility that will house the fire company and EMS. Some members will ride the fire trucks and others will walk and carry axes, flags and other items along the symbolic journey.
“We didn’t want us to be just hopping in a fire truck and going down,” said Megan Silverstrim, a spokesperson for the fire company. “Our members will accompany our (apparatuses) to our new home. It’s our symbolic way of picking up and moving on.”
According to Shippensburg Fire Chief Randy O’Donnell, EMS has already began shifting operations to the new building, but will participate with the fire company for opening-day activities.
Continuing with the symbolism will be the fire company’s act of getting its vehicles into the five bays it’s allotted at the new facility.
“Our members will then push the (apparatuses) into the bays. Everybody will have a hand on (an) apparatus,” Silverstrim said.
After the group’s arrival, the flag carried down from the old fire station will be raised onto the flag pole at the new building. Also, three separate ribbon cutting ceremonies will take place: One on the fire company’s side of the building, another on the EMS’s side, and the third in the area that the two will share.
Present will be Mayor Bruce Hockersmith and former Mayor Tim Costanza and officers from both organizations. Speakers will be people who have been involved with the project along the way, including those who realized the need for a new facility 20 years ago, Silverstrim said.
The public is encouraged to attend the opening ceremony at the new facility, and will be welcomed in for tours. According to O’Donnell, maps will be available inside and personnel will be on duty to answer questions.
“There’s just a lot of interest in the building,” he said. “(The public has) seen it be erected in the past years. There’s an interest to see what’s there.”
Tour-takers will have the opportunity to see the facility’s many features.
Besides the areas required for each agency to operate, the 30,000-square-foot, $6.3 million facility includes a training area, study room for volunteers who are in school, a museum that will house the 500-pound station bell, gym and bunk areas among other things.
Guests may also be interested in the several eco-friendly features including a 10,000-gallon rainwater collection system that will be used for emergency vehicles, high efficiency HVAC system, LED lighting and occupancy sensors, and the use of local materials in construction.
“The building was designed to last the community for 100 years,” O’Donnell said.
Expansion of community outreach was at the forefront of the design scheme.
“It’s a much roomier place for people to come in and understand what we do,” Silverstrim said. “It’s truly not just our building, but it’s the community’s building.”
Shippensburg emergency responders will spend Saturday afternoon celebrating the opening of their new workplace, but plans are set to ensure the community does not go without emergency services. Taking over calls during the afternoon for the fire company will be Company 33 out of Cumberland County; the EMS will have another company taking over for them as well, Silverstrim said.
“Our members are free to enjoy the day and enjoy the fruits of their labors,” she added.
The idea for a new facility first brewed nearly 20 years ago, and the actual plan has been underway for a portion of that. The buildings housing the fire company and the EMS were both inadequate for their purposes for a while, so to save time and resources the two organizations decided to join together in the search for a new site.
“We were trying to be responsible with land use, responsible with finances,” Silverstrim said.
Construction began late last year.
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Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com, 262-4771, or follow her on Twitter @ShipNewsGirl.